Memories Beyond December
by mcangel1976
Summary: Sequel to December Regrets. What happened after Haruhi opened the door to see Kyoya standing there with a single rose? Find out as the couple spend White Day together, and talk about where they came and where they are headed. As long as they are together, they will be happy, but is Haruhi ready for everything that Kyoya has planned for this White Day? Read and find out.
1. White Day Begins

**Disclaimer… I do not own Ouran High School Host Club or its characters, I just like to have fun with them and put them in awkward situations. LOL. **

**A/N: By now my regular readers know that when I get an urge to write, I have to give into it and I don't always like to hold onto stories. Don't worry, Still Assuming will be updated tomorrow and nothing will be forgotten. I know I have several going right now, but after re-watching Ouran for the millionth time, I had to write a new Kyoya story and since it is White Day, I would write a sequel to December Regrets since they got back together one day before Valentine's Day. This will only be a couple of chapters long. I have a longer story planned for Kyoya later. So this story is for Valkariekain who specifically requested a sequel for December Regrets. I hope you like it. Happy reading and please let me know what you think.**

Chapter 1 – White Day Begins

Kyoya pounded his alarm as it blared at 6:30 in the morning. He hated the thing, but he knew there was a reason he set it to go off so early in the morning. However, half asleep, he couldn't quite remember what that reason was. Still he trudged to the bathroom in order to take a shower, hoping that it would come to him soon otherwise he was going right back to bed.

Stepping into the shower, Kyoya let the hot water envelop him and he slowly felt the last remnants of sleep leave him. Opening his eyes, his mind started to work, and as he grabbed the shampoo he finally remembered what was so special about today. He knew why he was forcing himself to get out of bed at an ungodly time in the morning. It was White Day, and he was going to pick up his girlfriend and treat her like the princess he believed she is.

Kyoya quickly finished his shower and went to get ready to leave the house. The first step was to bring her breakfast, of course he would include enough for Ranka, and then they would go to school together; tonight he would take her out to dinner and hopefully ask her the question he had originally wanted to ask her in December when she left him standing in the park.

Thinking back over the past month together, it almost seemed like a dream to him. He had completely given up on their relationship; that is until two days before Valentine's Day when he received a package. It was lying on his table and he wasn't sure who had left it, at least not until he read the letter. When he saw that it was Haruhi that had written the letter, Kyoya almost threw it away without reading it, but something inside him would not let him put it down without knowing what it said; even if it meant more heartbreak in the end. Surprisingly it gave him hope and allowed him to believe that maybe there was a chance for them. A cd accompanied the letter and Kyoya listened to it on the way home; he was close to tears as the car pulled up to the house. He had missed her so much, longed for her to be with him again, and her offering was saying that she felt the same way.

Kyoya smirked when he thought of the next day. He hadn't been sure how he was going to declare himself to her, but he knew that he wasn't ready to just come out and say, "I love you, let's give it another try." That wasn't him, and although he had changed for her in some ways, he was still the Shadow King. Still unsure of what he was going to say to her, opportunity presented itself when the twins and Tamaki, being their normal selves, helped Haruhi break a tea set. Walking up to the small group he said, "Haruhi, the price of that tea set will be added to your debt since it was your fault that it was broken. Try not to provoke Tamaki or the twins again. We don't want to have to keep ordering new china." He saw the shocked look on her face, but he could also see the understanding and hope in her eyes before he walked back to his table. Leaving host club early that day, he had decided if Haruhi was serious, she would come to him, and she did. When she opened his bedroom door, he released a nervous breath he had been holding and knew his dream had come true. Haruhi was back.

Kyoya remembered that when Haruhi opened the door to his room and saw him standing there with the rose, she rushed to him. Laughing he thought about what happened next: with the velocity at which she propelled herself towards him, they almost fell to the floor in a heap, but he was able to keep his footing and they stayed upright. The rest of their time that day was spent talking, kissing, touching, and making up for lost time.

Thinking about everything that she had told him that day, Kyoya still wanted to kill his brother for planting seeds of doubt in Haruhi's head, but he didn't. He was an Ootori and more importantly, the Shadow King of Ouran High School. He knew how to exact his revenge in other ways. Akito had to play errand boy for him for a couple of weeks before he was shipped off on special assignment to Alaska, alone. Yoshio had not been happy when he found out what his middle son's meddling had done to Kyoya and Haruhi's relationship. The patriarch liked Haruhi and wanted to her to become part of the family. Akito had jeopardized the plans that he had for Kyoya, and he needed to be punished.

Kyoya finished getting ready, grabbed his school bag, and went down to the kitchen in order to collect the breakfast he had the cook prepare. He smiled as he thought about his Haruhi and the day they would spend together. Of course it would be easier if the school knew she was a girl, but that could wait until later. Haruhi wanted to pay off her debt on her own, which meant Kyoya was not allowed to just wipe it clean or pay it for her. Pushing his glasses up his nose, his smile grew, that was just who Haruhi was. Grabbing the basket of food, he walked out of the door and into the car. It was time to see his girlfriend.

Haruhi had just finished taking her shower and getting dressed when she heard a knock at the door. Looking at the clock, she knew it was too early for Kyoya, but that was the only person she could think of that would come by her house in the morning. She quickly made her way to the door, and as it swung open her boyfriend was standing on the other side holding a basket. Raising one eyebrow in a questioning look, she asked, "What is that?"

"Well, if you will get out of the way, I will show you," Kyoya replied smoothly. He smiled as she moved to allow him entry into her home. As he was passing her, he leaned down and gave her a small kiss on the cheek before moving over to the kitchen counter and putting his parcel down. "This, my dear is breakfast. I thought that we could eat together before we go to school."

"Why?" Haruhi inquired still looking confused.

Kyoya shook his head and would have face palmed, but he was able to contain himself. He was the cool host after all. "Today is White Day," he stated simply as he pulled out a red rose and handed it to her before he gave her a kiss that made her toes curl (well his too). When he broke the kiss, he said, "Happy White Day. I love you."

Smiling, Haruhi said, "Happy White Day Kyoya and I love you too. I really didn't remember what today was."

"It is a good thing that I did remember, since it was actually my job to remember and not yours."

"Is that a joke coming from the infamous Shadow King?"

"It might be, but then again, it could just be a dream."

Haruhi laughed. It felt good to be with Kyoya, it felt right. She couldn't believe that she almost gave him up just because of his brother. Thankfully Tamaki had talked some sense into her, or she isn't sure where she would be right now. She only knew that instead of the unbearable pain of being apart, she glowed with happiness because they were once again together. She was pulled out of her musings when she realized that Kyoya was talking to her, "I'm sorry Kyoya, but what did you say?"

Chuckling, Kyoya shook his head and continued to take out the contents of the basket and stated, "I was telling you what we are having for breakfast and the fact that I brought enough for your father to eat when he wakes up."

"Sorry, I was thinking," Haruhi blushed and laughed at herself. She walked over to where Kyoya was standing and leaned her head against his arm.

Kyoya turned to look at her, pausing momentarily on his task of preparing breakfast for her, "What were you thinking about?"

"About how wonderful the past month has been and that I am happy you accepted my apology. I was never happier to have my debt increase, as I was that day."

"It was a good day. I was worried at first that you would not understand my subtle message, but when you opened my bedroom door, I knew that you had gotten the hint."

"I did get the hint and the past month has been perfect."

Raising an eyebrow, he asked, "Perfect? Even with the disagreements?"

"Well it isn't my fault you only want to go to the expensive places to eat," Haruhi grumbled, "But to answer your question, yes, it has been perfect even with those. I would rather argue with you about your choice of restaurant, than to never hear your voice directed at me again."

Kyoya wrapped his arms around her and said, "I am not going to say you will never know what that feels like again because one of these days one of us will die, but I can say that I hope it is a long time before either of us has to deal with that. I still need a lifetime with you before I think I will be ready to say good bye."

Wrapping her arms around Kyoya's neck and standing on her toes, she pulled him down for another kiss. When she finally pulled back, she whispered, "I feel the same way." Unfortunately it was at this time that her stomach decided to make itself known, and both teens started to laugh.

"I guess I better feed you or I might have to deal with that noise all day," Kyoya joked.

"Yah, you brought all of this food, you have to let me eat some," Haruhi winked.

The couple ate their breakfast together, basking in the fact that they were together and knowing that nothing would tear them apart again. They had lived life without each other, and they know that they are so much better together.


	2. Hosting White Day

**A/N: The response to this story has been very positive. I guess people liked the idea of a sequel for December Regrets. YAY! Well Akito was punished for what he did, probably not the most severe that could have happened, but at least he was sent away for a while. Now let's see what happens over the course of the day. Enjoy the next chapter and let me know what you think.**

Chapter 2 – Hosting White Day

Kyoya and Haruhi finished breakfast and were soon on their way to school. As they sat there in comfortable silence, Haruhi relaxed against Kyoya and thought about everything that has happened since she and Kyoya had rekindled their relationship. Smiling she thought about a particular day about two weeks after they had gotten back together. She wasn't supposed to see him because he had a business meeting with his father, and he was going to be occupied all day. It was a day she was expecting just a phone call, but she got so much more.

_Flashback_

_A frantic knock woke Haruhi up one Saturday morning. Groaning she looked at the clock and realized that it was only 6:45 am, and she didn't have to get up or go to school that day. She tried to cover her head and go back to sleep, but the banging got louder. Not worrying about waking her father since he was spending the night with one of his friends, she slowly got out of bed and stomped her way to the door. Ripping it open, she growled, "What the hell do you think you are doing? Do you know what time it is?" Haruhi never realized who was standing in her doorway at that very moment until she heard his voice._

_"Well I believe I wanted to see my girlfriend at some point in time today and this was the only time I could arrange it, and I know that it is a little before 7:00," Kyoya smirked as he took in her bed rumpled appearance. He had had a dream the night before that he had lost her again. It almost sent him into a panic, but he was Kyoya Ootori, the Shadow King of Ouran, he does not panic (at least not externally). After waking up from that horror, he knew that he had to see Haruhi today and nothing could stop him. The only problem was that he was set to fly out at 9:00 with his father and would not return until after midnight. The only option, to wake her up; she was an early riser anyway, it should be ok. He hoped._

_Scrunching her face, she was trying to get her brain working. Her eyes saw her boyfriend, her ears heard him, but her brain was still trying to wake up and hadn't caught up yet. "Kyoya?" Haruhi asked confused. She had to be dreaming, it was too early for Kyoya to be standing at her doorway in a business suit. Then it clicked, "Wait, don't you have a business meeting today? What are you doing here so early? You woke me up!"_

_Chuckling, he pushed Haruhi out of the way and walked into the apartment handing her a bouquet of pink roses and Gerber daisies. Kyoya watched as she accepted the flowers with a slight blush and a grin; and it made his heart soar. He slipped off his shoes and then pulled her into his arms, "I decided I didn't want to go a full day without seeing you, so here I am. Unfortunately, this was the only time I could come by, sorry for waking you up."_

_Haruhi could see something in his eyes that he was not telling her. She wasn't sure what it was, but she knew that it had brought him here this morning. Stretching up to kiss him, she said, "Now that I know it was you trying to beat my door down, I think I am ok with it."_

_This was what Kyoya needed to shake off the last remnants of that dream, Haruhi in his arms and kissing him. Pulling back from the kiss, he said, "It is a good thing you don't mind otherwise we might have an issue."_

_Giggling, Haruhi mocked, "Might have an issue? I think I know how to handle you at your worst."_

_That one small declaration was all it took for Kyoya to laugh. Pulling Haruhi closer, he stated, "You are probably the only one that can." He leaned down for another kiss and when he pulled back, he said, "I love you." It was the first time he had said those three words since she had walked into his room that fateful day. _

_Haruhi was dumbstruck; she hadn't expected to hear those words that morning, but she was happy he had said them. Beaming, she spoke softly, "I love you too." They kissed again before they finally separated and Haruhi made Kyoya breakfast. _

_All too soon Kyoya had to leave in order to catch his plane, but he promised to call her later. Haruhi walked him to the door and with one last kiss and another whispered "I love you" from both of them, Kyoya left. She closed the door slowly with a dreamy smile on her face touching the lips that Kyoya had kissed. It was a good way to start the day, and she got so much more than she ever thought she would get that wonderful morning._

_End of flashback_

"What are you thinking about?" Kyoya asked noticing the faraway look on his girlfriend's face.

Startled to be pulled out of her thoughts, Haruhi looked up at Kyoya's amused face. Giving him a mock glare, she said, "I was thinking about the day you came over and woke me up before you had a meeting."

Kyoya smirked knowingly, "I remember that day. Your hair was standing on end and your face still had marks from your pillow."

"Is that all you remember?"

"I can remember a lot of things and I remember everything about that morning," Kyoya said gently as he brushed his fingers over her face, "I thought you looked beautiful and I finally told you 'I love you' again. It was true then and it is true now."

Blushing, Haruhi felt like Kyoya had turned her mind to mush. She was trying to compose herself to reply, but couldn't come up with anything. She settled for a small kiss and, "I love you too." Of course when she had finally regained her senses and was ready to say something, they had pulled up to the school and the driver was opening their door.

Kyoya could see that she was about to say something, but as soon as the door opened up, Haruhi had to swallow her words and get out of the car. He wanted to laugh at the look on her face, but he was a gentleman and held it in.

As the couple got out of the car, they put on their host masks in order face the crowd of customers that were awaiting them. It was the same every Valentine's Day and White Day. The girls were hoping that one of the hosts would return the favors given to them on Valentine's Day, but alas it never happened. Still the girls loved to see their hosts and would scream for them regardless if their affections were returned or not. The fact that two hosts arrived together, increased the MOE screams. Giving the girls some host smiles and a couple of waves, Kyoya and Haruhi were finally able to make it through the swarm and into the school building.

"Haruhi, are you alright? You didn't get hurt going through the crowd did you? Did Mommy protect you?" Tamaki wailed as he grabbed Haruhi and pulled her into his arms, "Don't worry Daddy will do all he can for you."

"Tamaki-senpai, you are not my father and you need to let me go," Haruhi declared bluntly as she tried to push the enthusiastic host club king away from her.

"But Haruhi, Daddy is only trying to make sure you are safe," Tamaki cried but did not release her yet.

"Kyoya-senpai are you going to help me or are you just going to stand there. I would think about your answer before you say something stupid," Haruhi glared at the Shadow King.

Pushing up his glasses, he was laughing on the inside and smirking on the outside. He had every intention of helping Haruhi escape from Tamaki, but part of him wanted to mess with her and drag it out a bit due to her threat. "Tamaki, I would suggest letting our 'daughter' go before you crush her to death. I wouldn't exactly be happy if that happened," Kyoya grinned evilly.

Tamaki yelped and then immediately released Haruhi, "Sorry Mommy!"

Turning to Haruhi, Kyoya watched her brush herself off and straighten out her school uniform, "Are you ok?"

"I'm fine," she grumbled.

"Well then, shall we all go to our classes?" Kyoya directed the hosts. When they started to disperse, Kyoya put his hand on Haruhi's shoulder to stop her for a minute, "I will see you at lunch." A small squeeze to her shoulder and he started to walk off.

Haruhi watched his retreating figure before she shook herself from her thoughts and made her way to her first period class. Luckily it was twin-free so she didn't get harassed for being kept by the Shadow King. As she sat down in at her desk, she smiled thinking about the reactions and teasing the couple got after they had gotten back together. Tamaki cried happy tears and said he needed to start planning their wedding; Kyoya talked him out of that quickly. The twins were happy that they had worked through their problems, but had started to call her the Shadow Queen and tease her and Kyoya's small gestures of "lovey-doveyness" at school; since the couple couldn't really do much more than a brush here or a pat there. Hunny and Mori were ecstatic; Mori gave them both a small smile and Hunny declared that a cake needed to be eaten in order to celebrate. She was just relieved that Kyoya was willing to move past her stupidity and give her another chance.

The morning passed quickly enough and it seemed before Haruhi could blink, it was time for lunch. She had gotten out of the habit of eating her bento in a classroom, and instead had started to convene with the other hosts in the lunch room. She sat down next to Kyoya at the normal host table and soon the others joined them. All five hosts could feel the eyes of the lunch crowd on them, and knew that the girls were in MOE heaven as they watched the hosts commiserate and eat lunch.

Haruhi would feel a brush of Kyoya's hand periodically and wished they could do more, but for now it would remain a secret. She promised herself as soon as her debt was paid, she was going to announce herself as a girl and be able touch her boyfriend as much as she wanted to. She just had to get him and the others onboard with her decision. After lunch, the hosts parted and Haruhi gave a little squeeze to Kyoya's forearm and told him that she would see him at club time.

Haruhi had every intention of getting to the music room a little early that afternoon, but her teacher had other plans for her. She was kept after class in order to discuss one of her projects and wound up being five minutes late. Luckily it was still before any of the customer's had arrived. Unfortunately Tamaki was already in a frenzy and the twins were egging him on. When he saw her, he rushed to her and Haruhi's air was knocked out of her; she could swear she saw her life flash before her eyes.

"Tamaki please release Haruhi. She is starting to turn blue and we still have dinner plans tonight," Kyoya said as he walked up to where Tamaki was squeezing the life out of Haruhi.

"Sorry Kyoya!" Tamaki released Haruhi midtwirl and she went flying, thankfully in the direction of Kyoya.

The Shadow King caught the female host before she fell to the ground and held her until she seemed stable enough to stand on her own feet. Looking down into her eyes, he brushed the hair out of her face and gave her a small kiss. When he pulled back, the red tint was on her cheeks and he smirked, "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine Kyoya. Sorry I was late, sensei needed to talk to me," Haruhi explained.

"It's alright. Why don't you get everything ready for our guests," Kyoya said and pushed her towards the kitchen. When she was safely ensconced in the other room, Kyoya turned on the other three inhabitants of the room, "Tamaki will you please stop trying to suffocate my girlfriend? And you two; stop trying to provoke him. Getting him worked up means his attacks on Haruhi are that much more drastic." Creating a glare with his glasses when he pushed them up his nose, he could tell he intimidated his friends. _"Good maybe they will leave my girlfriend alone now,"_ Kyoya thought to himself as he gave one last leer towards the others and walked back to his table.

"I think you went too far boss," Hikaru and Kaoru said at the same time.

"It wasn't me! It was you two evil devils!" Tamaki declared yelling at them.

"Admit it Tono," Kaoru grinned mischievously.

"You really want Haruhi for yourself," Hikaru adopted the same evil look.

"You are trying to steal the Shadow Queen from the Shadow King," the twins announced together.

"NO! I would never do that to them. They belong together. It is you two that are up to something!" Tamaki defended himself falling once again into the trap set by the twins.

Hikaru and Kaoru smirked at each other and then turned their leers onto Tamaki, "If you say so."

Tamaki screamed and then ran to his corner. He kept muttering something about wicked doppelgangers and he needed to protect his daughter from them.

The twins were laughing and gave each other a high five at their job well done. Tamaki was always easy to bait and today was no different. They were actually truly happy for their friends and the last thing they wanted was for everything to return the way it was after Christmas. That was a disaster in the making. However, messing with Tamaki was always a good time.

Soon enough the doors opened and the customer swarmed into the music room still hoping for a small token from their favorite host. They received flowery words from Tamaki, cute smiles from Haruhi, the twins putting on their twincest act, and Kyoya offering a special White Day sale on photos of their favorite hosts; and the girls ate it up. They loved everything about the hosts and could not get enough. Even if they didn't get a trinket in return for Valentine's Day, this was enough for them.

When host club ended, Tamaki and the twins ushered the ladies out of the club room and then closed the doors. Haruhi was starting to clean the room when the trio offered to do the cleaning for her as her White Day gift from them. She tried to tell them that they didn't have to, but they insisted and soon she was sitting on a couch with a cup of tea in hand waiting for Kyoya to finish his work.

"Haruhi if you are just going to sit there, you may as well change for our date. I placed a box in the back room for you," Kyoya stated as he continued to type.

"Oh ok. You know you could have told me that we were going from here and I could have brought a dress with me," Haruhi grumbled.

Kyoya smirked and lifted his head to look at her, "But that wouldn't be as much fun. Plus it is White Day; it is part of my gift to you."

Exhaling, Haruhi shook her head and said, "Ok, because it is White Day and you went to all of this trouble, I will not argue." She started to walk to the back room to change when Kyoya's words made her pause for a brief minute.

"Finally!" He chuckled and then said in a softer tone, "Thank you Haruhi."

Changing direction, Haruhi walked up to Kyoya and kissed his head before moving to the back room to get changed. Opening the box and pulling out the dress, she knew that Kyoya had picked it out because he was the only one that really listened to what she liked and did not like. The dress was baby blue and A-line. It had some embroidery and sequence on the top, but it wasn't too much. It had one inch straps for sleeves and went down to her knees. Inside the box was also a pair of kitten heels the exact shade of the dress and a white cardigan to wear against the evening chill. In other words, the dress was perfect for her. Changing her clothes quickly, she put her school uniform in the box the dress was in and then stepped out of the back room.

When Haruhi stepped out of the changing area, everyone looked up and they were stunned. She was beautiful. The dress complimented her figure and the color was perfect against her pale skin. Everyone thought that she looked like an angel.

Kyoya was not excluded from the group. When he heard her exit the back room, he turned around and was dazzled. Haruhi was a breathtaking vision to behold and she was all his. Closing his computer, he stood up and walked over to her, "You look exquisite!" Watching her blush, he leaned down and gave her a kiss.

"Thank you Kyoya," Haruhi said breathlessly when the kiss ended.

"Let me get changed and then we can go," he said as he gave her one last kiss on the cheek and then moved into the backroom to get out of his uniform. Tonight was the night and he knew at the end of the night, he would not be left holding a dozen roses as he watches her walk away from him.


	3. A White Day Proposal

**A/N: Did I say that this story is only going to be a couple of chapters long? Well, it looks like it will be a little longer than that, probably about the length of the original story. Mtnikolle asked if this would only encompass White Day with memories interspersed, and originally that is what I had planned, but I have decided that I want a little more for the sequel and new ideas started to pop into my head; so we will go with it and it will actually cover more than just White Day. However because I had so much I wanted to include, I broke up White Day into 3 chapters. Enjoy the next chapter and please review if you can. Thank you everyone!**

Chapter 3 – A White Day Proposal

After Kyoya had changed into his black suit, he and Haruhi had gathered their belongings and made their way down to the waiting car. The others had tried to stall them in order to take a picture, but couldn't find the camera. Kyoya rushed Haruhi to the door when they started looking in the weirdest of places for the camera (in the piano, under the couches, the twins tried one of the chandeliers), and promised he would make sure they got their picture taken later in the evening. Tamaki screamed Haruhi's name in order to stop her so that he could tell her good bye properly, but one look from Kyoya and the host club king decided he didn't need to hug "his precious little girl". The couple finally made it to the car without further incident.

Haruhi had noticed that Kyoya's tie had matched her dress perfectly and had to smile. It made her think of the first family dinner she was invited to after she and Kyoya had reconciled. Apparently matching was a big deal to Kyoya that night and she had ruined his plans.

_Flashback…_

_The day before the family dinner that would reintroduce Haruhi to his family as his girlfriend and love interest, Kyoya was at Haruhi's house studying. He had called Haruhi to see if she was busy that day, knowing that Saturday she liked to do chores and do her grocery shopping. She had invited him over for a study date and he got there as fast as he could. He had wanted to ask her a question, but had yet to say the words. It wasn't that he was afraid; he just wasn't sure how to ask. Deciding the direct approach was the best method; he cleared his throat and said, "Haruhi."_

_Haruhi looked up from her calculus homework and looked at her boyfriend with a smile on her face. She still couldn't believe that she could give him that title once again, but they had decided that they were going to give it another shot; and this time she refused to let any doubts she may still have bother her. "Yes?" She responded._

"_I was wondering what color of dress you were wearing to dinner tomorrow night."_

_That was not what she was expecting. He wasn't asking what she was wearing, just what color she was wearing. "Well I believe I am wearing a white cocktail dress the twins gave me," she said with a touch of curiosity in her voice. _

"_Ok, thank you."_

"_Why?"_

"_Why what?"_

"_Why do you need to know the color of my dress?"_

"_I asked because I wanted to know the color."_

_Shaking her head, she knew that she was not going to get anywhere with that conversation and decided the best thing to do was to drop it, "Whatever."_

_Kyoya smirked. He thought she was adorable when she got a little irritated and worked up. Leaning in, he gave her a brief kiss and was about to explain why he wanted to know the color of her dress, when his phone rang. After taking the call and hanging up, he looked at Haruhi and said, "I have to get home. Father wants to talk to me. I will call you later though." He packed up his books and Haruhi escorted him to the door. With one last kiss, they said good bye and he walked down to his car. _

_The next night, Haruhi had actually changed her mind about the dress she had been planning on wearing. Since it was a little cooler than she thought it would be, she did not want to be in a strapless dress and instead chose a pink dress that had long sleeves. Stepping out of the car that Kyoya had sent for her, she was ushered into the house by the butler and that is where Kyoya met her. She didn't like the frown he was giving her, "What?"_

"_That isn't a white dress," Kyoya said plainly._

"_Very good, you have passed the color blind test. It's pink. I changed my mind because it was a little chilly and the sweater I was going to wear with the white dress was dirty."_

"_I don't have a pink tie," Kyoya grumbled._

_It was then that Haruhi noticed Kyoya' tie was white. He had planned on matching her dress and she hadn't had a clue. "Oh, well I think it will be alright if we don't match," she tried to placate him._

"_I wanted to match in order to show that we really were together and that Akito failed in keeping us apart."_

"_Oh," Haruhi said at a loss as to what she should say or do in this situation. She watched the wheels in his head start turning and could only imagine what he was trying to come up with. Walking up to him, she put her arms around his waist and said, "I understand why you wanted to match, but it is too late for that now. I think that seeing us together and happy tonight will be enough of a testament to anyone in your family that we belong together, and that no one can keep us apart."_

_Wrapping his arms around Haruhi, he gave her a genuine smile and said, "I guess you could be right." He leaned down and kissed her forehead. _

"_Of course I am," Haruhi smirked and together they started to laugh._

_End of Flashback…_

Haruhi chuckled to herself at the memory. The rest of the evening had gone perfectly and no one could doubt the couple's devotion to each other.

"Why are you laughing?" Kyoya inquired, his curiosity piqued. He had noticed that Haruhi had seemed deep in thought and then she started to laugh quietly to herself.

"I noticed your tie matched my dress perfectly," Haruhi answered.

"Of course it does," Kyoya smirked.

"I was thinking about the night I came over for a family dinner in a pink dress when you were expecting white."

"Yes, I was disappointed to see you wearing a different color than what you had informed me."

"Hey, everything turned out well and the evening was a success. Both of your brothers left you alone and your sister was beyond excited that I was back."

"That is a major understatement when it comes to Fuyumi."

Laughing again, Haruhi said, "I know."

Brushing Haruhi's bangs out of her eyes, Kyoya said, "It was a good night and there have been many more 'good ones' since then."

Haruhi blushed and said, "Yes there have."

The limo pulled to a stop and soon the door was opened. Kyoya got out first and then reached in to help Haruhi out of the back seat. When she emerged, he heard Haruhi gasp. It was the restaurant he had taken her to on their first date after they returned from the host club vacation in Osaka. They had returned to the restaurant many times after that, but after they broke up in December, neither of them had returned; and it is the first time he has brought her back since they got back together. Knowing that she was taken aback by his choice of restaurant, he linked their fingers together and led her inside saying, "I hope you don't mind eating here."

Smiling, she squeezed his hand and said, "Not at all. It is a special place for us."

"Yes, it is," Kyoya replied and together they walked up to the hostess, and were immediately shown to their table in a small private area. He pulled out Haruhi's chair for her and then when she was seated, he took his own seat.

"Isn't this the same table we had on our first date?" Haruhi asked.

"Yes it is."

"You know, you might want to watch it or I might think you are sentimental or something," Haruhi teased winking at the Shadow King.

Kyoya looked her in the eye and said seriously, "When it comes to you and us, I find that I am very sentimental."

With her cheeks tinted pink, Haruhi grinned and said, "I'm glad because I am too." She reached across the table and grasped Kyoya's hand in hers.

Dinner was nothing less than the best for the youngest Ootori and his date. The food was perfect and Kyoya was in heaven because he was there with Haruhi. They talked about the past month and how their day went. An outsider looking in would see a couple that loved each other and were comfortable together.

As soon as the empty dishes were cleared and dessert had been ordered, Kyoya pulled out a folded piece of paper from his inside jacket pocket and handed it to Haruhi. At her confused expression, he said, "Open it. It is a White Day gift from the club."

Haruhi unfolded the paper and studied it for a moment before she looked back up at Kyoya, "My debt is cleared? You and the rest of the guys didn't do anything to this, did you?"

"Not at all. As of today, your debt has been completely paid off by you and no one else."

Beaming, she exclaimed, "Thank you!"

Returning her smile, Kyoya was awestruck by how a simple expression could make his heart race, "You are quite welcome. I thought you would want to know the good news, and so I printed that off before we left today."

Nodding, she refolded the piece of paper and stuck it in the small purse she had brought with her. Looking up at Kyoya, Haruhi said, "Now that this has been taken care of, I want to come out as a girl."

"I figured you would say that and I have some ideas about how we can manage it. We can talk about it later though."

"Ok."

The waitress returned at that time with their desserts and once again left the table. After dessert was eaten, Kyoya cleared his throat and stood up to walk over to Haruhi. Reaching into his jacket again, he pulled out a familiar looking jewelry box and got down on one knee.

Haruhi covered her mouth with both hands as she noticed Kyoya kneeling down in front of her. She was in shock, did this mean what she thought it did? Looking at the box in his hands, it looked like the same one he tried to give her the day she left him in the park. She looked up into his eyes and saw nothing but love shining back.

"Haruhi, I know that you still have a year left in high school and I will be graduating soon, but I love you more today than I ever thought possible. I actually bought this back in December as a token of how serious and committed to this relationship I am. Today I offer it to you because I cannot imagine my life without you in it. I have lived that life and I will not do it again. I am devoted to you and cherish you. You are the only one for me, and although I know you will want to wait, I wanted to ask you this. Will you marry me? We don't have to…" Kyoya proposed and was interrupted by a pair of lips pressing against his own. As he wrapped his arms around his girlfriend and kissed her back, he hoped that this meant her answer was "yes".

Pulling back from the kiss, Haruhi knew she was smiling bigger than she had ever done before. She nodded and said, "Yes, Kyoya!"

Kyoya brushed away the tears that were falling down her face knowing that they were happy tears, and then he placed the ring on her finger. A perfect fit. He stood up and leaned over to give her another kiss before whispering, "Are you ready to leave?"

"Yah," Haruhi said breathlessly.

Kyoya helped Haruhi up from the table and they excited the small room they were in. They were soon in the car and Kyoya was giving her another kiss. This time more passionate and it left them both breathless and wanting more.

Haruhi looked at the ring that resided on her finger. The center stone was a princess cut diamond, and although she was sure Kyoya would have wanted to buy a bigger one, this was the right ring for her. The stone wasn't too big and probably only about two carats, maybe a little more. The band had smaller diamonds surrounding it. He knew her so well. Beaming up at Kyoya again, she said, "I love you."

Leaning in to kiss her again, he said, "I love you too; today, tomorrow, and for the rest of our lives."


	4. Guess What Daddy?

**A/N: Yay Kyoya and Haruhi are engaged and he finally was able to give her the ring he got her months before. I think he was expecting an argument or something, but Haruhi being Haruhi, accepted without letting him finish his speech. LOL. Now the question is how will the others react (i.e. Tamaki)? Let's find out… Enjoy this next chapter and please review if you can. :D **

Chapter 4 – Guess What Daddy?

Haruhi woke up and immediately looked at her hand; sure enough sitting on her left ring finger was a diamond engagement ring. It hasn't been a dream, everything was very real. Smiling to herself, Haruhi felt giddy with excitement. She was engaged to the man of her dreams and she had never felt happier. Whispering to herself, Haruhi grinned, "I guess almost losing something so good makes you realize how much more special it is." Jumping out of bed, she grabbed her clothes and went to take a shower to get ready for the day.

As Haruhi was walking back to her bedroom from the bathroom, she swore she could hear her father talking to someone. Putting her things down in her bedroom, she walked into the living room to see Kyoya conversing Ranka "Kyoya? Dad?" She asked in confusion. To see Kyoya up and functioning early one day was something that was a feat, but could be done; two days in a row was an act of God.

"Haruhi! You're up!" Ranka jumped up from his position on the floor and rushed at his one and only daughter pulling her into a tight embrace.

"Dad! Let me go!" Haruhi yelled and was immediately released. Dusting herself off, she sent a glare towards her father.

Ranka withered at that evil look in her eyes. "_It is scary how much like her mother she can be!" _He thought to himself. When the elder Fujioka had gotten home the night before (ok early morning), Haruhi had already gone to bed; and not wanting to disturb her, he set his alarm to get up when she normally would. He missed her before she got in the shower, but decided to get up and make breakfast. His favorite host showed up a couple of minutes after he left his room and he was finally put out of his misery. Ranka knew Kyoya had planned on proposing the night before, and he was anxious to know if his daughter said yes or no. It took all of his effort to stay in the living room and not storm the bathroom to demand answers. "I have already made breakfast for you!" Ranka spoke excitedly. Kyoya had told him to wait for Haruhi to give him the good news, but his daughter was not cooperating… yet.

Looking between her father and fiancé, she immediately knew that Kyoya had already spilled the beans. Lifting an eyebrow, she decided to torture her father a bit before she gave him what he desired. She turned her attention to the younger man in the living room as he sat in his spot and continued to sipping his tea, "What are you doing here so early?"

"Haruhi!" Ranka whined when she didn't say anything to him. Studying her, he knew she was doing this on purpose to tease him. He had an evil child.

"I came to pick you up for school," Kyoya smirked. He wanted to laugh at what she was doing to her father, but he was smarter than that.

"Haruhi if you don't tell Daddy what happened last night, I will…" Ranka tried to threaten his daughter, but he couldn't come up with anything suitable that would make her comply. About the only thing she was really afraid of was thunder and lightning. Too bad it was a beautiful sunny day outside.

"You will what?" Haruhi prompted and paused, but before her father could continue, she started to laugh. "Sorry dad, but the way you were acting, I had to do it. I am sure Kyoya has already told you, but you apparently want to hear from me. He asked me to marry him and I said yes," she said smiling at her fiancé. When she was pulled into her father's arms once again, she knew that she realized her mistake… she stayed within glopping distance of his arms.

"Oh my little baby, I am so excited for you and Kyoya! You will have gorgeous, smart babies, and I know that Kyoya will take wonderful care of you. I am so happy that it is not that idiot Tamaki!" Ranka gushed as he swung his daughter around the small living space.

"Let me go dad! I need to breathe! Kyoya a little help if you will," Haruhi reached her hand towards the one person that might be able to save her right now.

"Ranka, Haruhi really does need to eat if we are going to make it to school on time," Kyoya said simply from his place at the living room table. He never moved, never raised his voice, he just appealed to the parental side of Ranka; and somehow it worked.

Letting his daughter go, Ranka rushed to make a plate for Haruhi, "You sit down next to your fiancé and Daddy will get your breakfast ready for you!" Anyone looking in could tell that Ranka was over the moon with the news that his daughter was marrying Kyoya Ootori.

Haruhi slowly made her way to the table and plopped down next to Kyoya. She hated dealing with an over enthusiastic father first thing in the morning when she was still trying to wake up, but she had a feeling that regardless if Kyoya had shown up or not, she would be dealing with an animated father right now. At least her fiancé offered a buffer. "When did he know you were going to propose?" Haruhi inquired softly.

"Whatever do you mean?" Kyoya smirked pretending he didn't understand the question.

Narrowing her eyes on the man seated next to her, Haruhi threatened, "If you want to stay engaged or even get married at some point, don't play dumb? It doesn't suit you."

"I asked your father for his blessing the first time I planned on proposing a week before I was going to pop the question. This time I asked him the day before White Day, so two days ago," Kyoya gave her a real smile and leaned in to give her a kiss. "By the way, good morning to you too."

"Good morning," Haruhi smiled and just as she was about to give him another kiss, the couple was interrupted.

"Here you go my sweet daughter!" Ranka cooed as he set a plate in front of her seemingly clueless about the moment he just disturbed.

Blushing and blinking a few times, Haruhi pulled the plate closer to her and started to eat. "Thanks dad," she mumbled. The sooner she finished, the sooner she could be alone with a certain shadow king.

After he had given the plate to his daughter, Ranka realized that he had intruded upon the moment between the newly engaged couple. He actually hadn't meant to interrupt anything; he was just so excited that he was running around with his head in the clouds. "_Oh well, they will have plenty of time for that on the way to school and for the rest of their lives. Did you hear Kotoko? Our little girl is engaged and will be getting married. He is a wonderful man and I know she will be happy. They almost didn't make it, but something brought them back together. I'd like to believe that you had something to do with it, and you encourage that blonde idiot to talk to our baby," _Ranka said in his head.

When breakfast had been eaten and Haruhi's lunch bento had been made, the couple said good bye to Ranka and left the apartment in order to get to school. It wasn't until they were on their way that Kyoya noticed a certain piece of jewelry missing from his fiancé's finger, "Where is your ring?"

"Well I can't exactly wear it on my finger at school until I come out as a girl, can I?" Haruhi sarcastically bit with a slight scowl emerging on her face.

Frowning, Kyoya nodded, "No, you can't. So is it at home?"

Shaking her head no, Haruhi reached into her bag and unzipped the inner pocket to remove the ring box, "I know that I can't wear it, but I wanted to keep it close. I didn't have a necklace I could wear with it, so I thought it would put it in here and carry it with me."

Kyoya looked from the box to Haruhi smiling face, and felt his lips curl up in a smile. Using one hand, he grasped her chin and tilted her face up saying, "I think we need to get you a chain or something so that you can wear it, but I am happy you want to keep it close to you." When he was done speaking, he moved forward and captured her lips in a kiss that started out simple enough, but ended in both teens gasping for air.

"Sir, we will arrive at the school in less than five minutes," the driver said into the speaker system so that Kyoya could hear him. He knew the young master had gotten engaged last night and figured the couple may want a warning so that they could be presentable before they got out of the car.

Taking in Haruhi's rumpled appearance, Kyoya chuckled and said, "That was our queue to straighten our appearance and from the looks of it, I think you could use some attention."

Leering at Kyoya, Haruhi growled, "Before you give me pointers about my appearance, you may want to look in the mirror." She turned towards her bag and put her ring back in its resting place.

"Ok fine, apparently both of us could use some attention," Kyoya smirked causing Haruhi to laugh. Both teens went to work on their appearance and by the time the limo pulled up the drop off point, both Haruhi and Kyoya were once again presentable.

As they exited the car, there were a few fan girls waiting, but nothing like the crowd from the previous day. Thankfully, they would not have to deal with another crowd like that until around graduation when the host club would say good bye to two more hosts. A few shouts of "MOE" could be heard and people wondering why Kyoya would be giving a ride to Haruhi, but everything was a harmless curiosity and fan girls gushing.

"MOMMY! HARUHI!" A voice shouted from the couple's left. Both of them could tell that the voice was getting closer without looking, and that meant Tamaki had pulled in after the Ootori limo spotting his favorite daughter and his best friend leaving the car.

Before Tamaki could pull Haruhi into a bear hug of death, Kyoya pulled her towards him and out of Tamaki's line of fire. Unfortunately Haruhi tripped and in order to remain vertical, she had to grab onto Kyoya. To the girls that were gathered, it looked like Kyoya and Haruhi were sharing an intimate embrace. While that may have been true other times, it was not true this time. "Sorry Kyoya-senpai!" Haruhi rapidly uttered as she pulled herself away from the safety of her fiancé's arms in order to stand on her own two feet.

"MOE!" The girls screamed.

Kyoya sighed and pushed up his glasses so that they caught the glint of sunlight and created a glare. "No problem Haruhi. Tamaki what do you think you are doing?"

"Mommy! I just wanted to hug our beautiful little girl! Haruhi, tell Mommy that you missed Daddy last night and we should have gone out as a family for White Day," Tamaki whined.

"I don't think so Tamaki-senpai," Haruhi deadpanned.

"While all of this is interesting, Daddy I believe we are blocking the rest of the cars from gaining entrance," Kyoya glared at his friend so that Tamaki backed up five feet. He pushed Haruhi to move away and then closed the limo door allowing his car to finally leave the school and others to advance in line. Pulling out his cell phone to check his emails, Kyoya moved towards the entry doors for the school building.

"Mommy, where are you going?" Tamaki gave his friend a confused looked.

Glancing over his shoulder, Kyoya sneered, "To class you baka. We are at school to learn, are we not?" With this last statement, he moved inside and towards his first period class.

Yelping, Tamaki grabbed Haruhi and yelled, "Don't be afraid of Mommy my daughter! He is just in a bad mood today. I vow this to you today: I will protect you from Mommy no matter what it takes!" Tamaki held onto Haruhi tightly and did not seem to notice the struggles of the small girl in his arms.

"Boss, I think you need to let go of our toy," Hikaru smirked as he walked up to the host club king and their writhing princess held captive Tamaki's arms.

"Yah Tono, you are making her turn purple. I don't think he can breathe," Kaoru added standing next to his twin. Noticing there were other students around, he made sure that he did not let Haruhi's secret leak, unlike a certain host club president.

Putting their faces together and plastering on a menacing grin, they said at the same time, "Besides, Mommy may punish Daddy for hurting daughter."

"I am not hurting her you evil children! I am protecting her and showing her how much I love her! I am also comforting her and telling her that even though Mommy seems mean, he isn't always. He really does love our little girl," Tamaki screeched.

"If you say so," the twins sounded doubtful as the shook their heads and tried to pull their friend free.

"Don't worry Haruhi! I will not let those vile beasts take you away from Daddy!" Tamaki declared.

"You are one to talk!" Kaoru retorted.

"Yah boss, I think you need to take a good long look at yourself before you judge us," Hikaru defended.

A dark aura was starting to appear and all three hosts could see it. Hunny was at the university and would not be at the high school until club time. Kyoya had already walked into the building and had not come back out, so it could not be him. That only left one person… Haruhi. All three teens dropped their grip on the girl and swiftly moved away from her. They did not want to be caught in the line of fire of the third demon of the host club.

"N-n-now Haruhi, remember d-d-daddy was just trying to p-protect you," Tamaki stammered.

"No he wasn't!" Hikaru declared.

"We were trying to rescue you," Kaoru added.

All three squealed when she turned her gaze upon them. They wondered if she could hear them shaking, but realized that they had other things to worry about.

Giving her three friends a glare cold enough to freeze water, she spoke in a low voice that seemed almost possessed, "All three of you need to back off and go to class. Tamaki I am not your daughter! Hikaru and Kaoru, we have been over this before. I am not your toy. All three of you need to stop grabbing and pulling me before someone gets injured, believe me when I say it will not be me. You have to worry about not only me coming after you, but Kyoya as well. Do I make myself perfectly clear?"

Hikaru, Kaoru, and Tamaki screamed before they decided that it was safer to leave and go to class. They ran inside begging for mercy from the third demon. The other students looked on and wondered if this had something to do with a cosplay the host club was going to be putting on.

Outside the dark aura had disappeared and Haruhi picked up her bag so that she could make her way indoors. "_Sometimes it was good to be able to get in touch with your darker side,"_ she smirked. Haruhi and Kyoya truly belonged together.

As Haruhi made her way through her morning classes, she giggled inwardly as the twins seemed to give her a wide berth. Well at least she knew that she would not have to worry about them today, not that they actually gave her that many problems. Most of the glopping and harassment came from the one and only Tamaki Suoh. No matter how many times she was pulled from "hugs" or Kyoya warned him, it seemed as if no one could get through to him that his "daughter" did not want that much attention. Most of the time she could actually let it roll off her back, but when it led to instances like this morning, she would rather argue politics with Kyoya.

As the bell rang to signal lunch time, Haruhi gathered her books and was about to head to the lunch room when she spotted Kyoya standing outside of her classroom, "Hi Kyoya-senpai. What are you doing here? I was just about to meet everyone in the lunch room."

Pushing up his glasses, he peered at Haruhi's face and inquired, "What happened this morning?"

"Do you mean after you left me to the wolves?" Haruhi questioned sarcastically.

"When I walked in the doors, Tamaki had yet to do anything stupid and I thought that you were right behind me; however when he finally got to class this morning, he was muttering incoherently. I caught bits and pieces about a demon and his daughter was uncontrollable and didn't love him," Kyoya informed her.

Rolling her eyes, she probed, "Is that why you came here?"

Looking around to see how many people were around them, it appeared that the hall was virtually deserted with only a straggler here and there. Kyoya approached Haruhi leering, "I came here to make sure that idiot didn't hurt you or bother you too much. I also figured you were not up for his antics right now and arranged a private lunch for the two of us at the gazebo. However, if you would rather have lunch with the others, then by all means let's progress to the banquet hall." He could tell that he surprised her when her mouth popped open and no sound could be heard. Kyoya was feeling a little smug at the moment and turned around towards the direction of the lunch room, but he was stopped by a hand on his arm before he made it two steps.

Haruhi grabbed Kyoya's arm and very quietly admitted defeat, "No, let's have lunch at the gazebo. Thank you."

"I figured you might have a change of heart. Come on," Kyoya smirked as he started to make his way out of the building with Haruhi following him. When they were safely entrenched inside the rose maze, he laced his fingers with Haruhi's and said, "If I would have known that Tamaki would react that way this morning, I wouldn't have left you behind. I really did think that you entered the building right after I did, I also thought that Tamaki had more self-preservation than to act like that with you."

Sighing, Haruhi grumbled, "I know you would have done something to take care of him. The problem was that the twins decided they needed to get in on the act and rescue me from Tamaki. It turned into a battle with me in the middle." Giggling a little at the memory, Haruhi had a self-satisfied smile upon her face, "I think that those three will steer clear of me for now. You know the twins have gotten so much better, it is when Tamaki is there, that they feel like they have to get involved."

"So what you are telling me is that it all comes back to Tamaki?"

"I think he means well, he is just an idiot and doesn't know when to stop. Then again, if he completely dropped the Daddy act, I don't know that it would be Tamaki," Haruhi laughed.

Kyoya found himself chuckling. He had to agree with Haruhi; Tamaki was over excitable, super dramatic, and changed moods so fast that a person could get whiplash, but that just who he was. Without the theatrics, the half Japanese/half French host club president wouldn't be able to read people and would never have been able to organize sons from five of the most influential families in Japan into a host club. He may be annoying, but he had a good heart and was a good friend. Kyoya felt he owned him doubly for Haruhi: first for forcing her to join the club and second for talking sense into her in February. Smiling slightly, Kyoya stated, "You may be right about that."

The couple continued the rest of their journey to the center of the maze in comfortable silence. Each lost to their own thoughts. When they arrived at their destination, Kyoya helped Haruhi take her seat and then sat down himself. The table was already set for the couple and the food was laid out as if whoever prepared everything had left only moments before.

Haruhi looked at the small feast in front of her and said, "You do realize that there is no way that you and I will eat all of this food. Right?"

Chuckling, Kyoya responded, "I realize that, but I couldn't decide what sounded good for lunch and I wanted to be sure that you got enough to eat, especially since I made sure to bring your favorites."

Beaming, Haruhi leaned over and gave her fiancé a kiss, "Thank you for all of this and for getting me away from the terrible trio."

"You are most welcome, princess," Kyoya smiled and gave her one more brief kiss.

Haruhi and Kyoya ate their lunch in relative peace talking about life and when they would inform their friends of their relationship status. It was relaxed and easy. They didn't have to fight off a blonde king or two impish rascals, they were just them and together. When the bell rang to signal the end of lunch, the lovers had to leave their cozy nest and venture back into the building for their next class.

When the couple emerged from the maze, Kyoya wiped the smile off of his face and adopted his normal dark persona. Smirking as he pushed up his glasses, wondering what others would say if they saw him smiling and acting very unshadow king like. That thought process made him laugh to himself after he said good bye to Haruhi. Walking into his class, Tamaki grabbed Kyoya before he could sit down, "What now Tamaki?"

"You're alive! Mommy, now don't panic, Haruhi is… missing," Tamaki cried and threw his arms around his best friend.

Pushing the blubbering king away from him, Kyoya either wasn't thinking clearly or didn't move fast enough, but before he could react, Tamaki had wrapped his arms around the shadow king's leg. Growling, Kyoya spoke slow and softly so that others did not overhear, "Haruhi is not missing you idiot. She is in her classroom as we speak. Now if you will kindly remove your grip from my leg, I would like to go to my desk and sit down."

"But Mommy, she wasn't at lunch today and neither were you! I found you, but we weren't able to find Haruhi. I am telling you, she is missing! You are my best friend and I didn't want to hide this from you! Our daughter has disappeared and has possibly been kidnapped! We need to send out a search party! Can you get your officers to start looking for her off campus? We can search the campus from top to bottom! I promise you Mon Ami, we will find your true love! DADDY IS COMING FOR YOU HARUHI!" Tamaki declared finishing with a flourish.

Kyoya looked around the room and found that Tamaki had once again drawn a crowd with his words and over zealousness. Haruhi would have called the king annoying or obnoxious, and Kyoya would have agreed with her 100%. Taking a deep breath and releasing it slowly, Kyoya kicked his friend off of his leg and then ground out, "Haruhi is not missing. HE and I met for lunch to discuss a few things about the club. HE and I separated in the hall so that I could come here and HE could attend to his own class. So Daddy dear, HE has not disappeared, been kidnapped, taken by aliens, murdered, mugged, or anything else your damn inner mind theater dreamt up. Haruhi is in class right now and will be in host club later. Now Daddy, get up off of that floor and get to your seat and do not say another word about our errant child when HE has done nothing wrong." Each time Kyoya stressed the "HE", Tamaki flinched and Kyoya wondered if the host club president had finally gotten a clue. Tamaki's next sentence gave him his answer.

"Mommy! Why were you monopolizing our daughter's time, and keeping her away from her loving father?" Tamaki wailed as he picked himself up off of the ground.

Shaking his head and pinching the bridge of his nose, Kyoya could feel a headache coming on, "Tamaki, the sensei will walk in this room any minute now. Shut up, walk to your desk, and sit down, or do I need to call one of my men to make you? Haruhi and I had matters to discuss and you will find out after club time! Now what is your decision, will you voluntarily go to your desk or do I call someone?" A dark aura was filtering out from the shadow king and Tamaki yipped before he ran to his desk and sat down waiting for class to begin. "_About time, he is so frustrating sometimes!" _Kyoya yelled in his head.

Thankfully for Kyoya, the rest of the day passed by fairly uneventfully, and soon he was making his way to the club room to prepare for host club. He only paused briefly when he heard his name being called, turning around to find that Haruhi was chasing after him, and it appeared that she was out of breath. Lifting an eyebrow, Kyoya smirked, "Try to catch your breath, I can't have you passing out before club and thereby making yourself unavailable for customers. I might have to start a new debt if that happened."

Gasping for air, Haruhi rolled her eyes and said, "Thank you for stopping Kyoya-senpai. I rushed out of class and started to run when I realized that Tamaki-senpai was making his way over to my class calling for me. I think I outran him though." The petite girl looked behind her and the coast was clear.

"I see. He did attack me when I showed up to class today and claimed that you were missing. Actually he caused a huge scene for the whole class to witness. Apparently he didn't like the fact that you were scarce during our lunch period," Kyoya griped as he adjusted his classes and resumed his journey to the music room.

"That idiot!" Haruhi yelled.

"You might want to calm down or you will draw unwanted attention. Tamaki probably isn't that far away," Kyoya murmured and looked down at his girlfriend, scratch that fiancé. Her face was flushed, probably from the running, and she looked like she was concentrating on something really hard since her brow was furrowed. "What's wrong?"

Startled momentarily, Haruhi looked up at Kyoya and sighed, "Nothing, it is just sometimes I don't understand that stupid man and I just want to slap him."

At about this time, the couple arrived at the doors to the music room, and Kyoya pulled one open allowing Haruhi to enter first. When the door was closed, he embraced her and stated, "That isn't going to do any good. I have pushed, kicked, hit, and threatened him and he hasn't changed. Besides, it wouldn't be Tamaki if he didn't do all of that."

Leaning her forehead against his beating heart, Haruhi groaned, "I know, but it is still maddening. I swear he may drive me insane one of these days." She lifted her head and looked Kyoya in the eye, "Be prepared for a crazy wife."

"I guess it is a good thing that my family owns the best hospitals in Japan," Kyoya joked and bent down to give her a small kiss. "Why don't you start preparing things for club time? If you are in the kitchen, Tamaki may leave you alone because he won't know that you are already here."

"Thank you, but try not to injure him too badly," Haruhi laughed as she walked off.

Snickering a little bit (although he would not admit that he did), Kyoya set his computer and black notebook down on his designated table. Breathing in and out, he was trying to do some calming breaths before he came face to face with Tamaki again. It didn't take long and within minutes Tamaki yanked opened the door and burst into the room with the twins following him. Kyoya knew that although the day was almost over, it was still going to be a long couple of hours, and he was right.

Before the club even opened, there was damage that irked the shadow king to no end. Haruhi came out of the kitchen pushing the trolley and Tamaki ran at top speed to seize her. She was able to save most of the items, but a teapot was broken in the commotion. Playing heroes and trying to upset Tamaki, Hikaru and Kaoru stepped in and tried to free her from Tamaki's clutches. Kyoya was done! With one look, he was able to get the twins to step several feet away from Haruhi. Tamaki was a little harder, but with the words "let her go now or else", Tamaki did what he was told and released Haruhi. Trying his Daddy act a few more times during the course of hosting hours, Tamaki was shut down each time by either Haruhi or Kyoya.

The youngest Ootori never thought he would be so happy when business was closed for the day. While he was glaring holes in the heads of Hikaru, Kaoru, and Tamaki; Hunny walked up to him and queried his younger friend, "What did they do this time Kyo-Chan?"

Snapping his pencil in half, Kyoya muttered, "What haven't they done today? They tried to fight over Haruhi while she was in the middle, Tamaki called her daughter again in class, he broke another tea pot in his anxiousness to get to her, he almost strangled her, the twins tried to get her to spend the night with them, and Tamaki also believed she was missing and wanted to send out a search party; which it turns out that he had already sent them out before consulting me. The party found her in class, which is where I told him she would be. So you have a lot to choose from Hunny-senpai."

Hunny could definitely see what his friend's problem was, and knew his frustrations were completely justified; but he also knew that Kyoya would not want to hurt his friends or he would feel guilty. Putting his hand on Kyoya's shoulder, Hunny sighed, "They are who they are, and if they cross the line you know what to do."

Grinning manically, Kyoya growled, "Yes, I do!"

"That's it Kyo-Chan!" Hunny said encouraging his friend. He wondered momentarily if he should be encouraging such behavior, but believed that Kyoya would probably know when to stop, right?

"Will everyone please gather around? Thank you," Kyoya raised his voice so that everyone would hear him and converge on the space he was currently camping in. When everyone was surrounding him, he motioned for Haruhi to come closer wrapping his arm around her waist and kissing her temple. Looking at everyone's face, Kyoya stated, "Last night at dinner I asked Haruhi to marry me and she said 'yes'. We are engaged to be married and will set a date after Haruhi graduates from Ouran."

"MY BABY IS GETTING MARRIED TO MOMMY! I HAVE NEVER BEEN SO HAPPY BEFORE IN MY LIFE!" Tamaki howled.

The shaking started and a platform spiraled out of the floor. Standing in the middle was Renge, "How can Kyoya and Haruhi get married if they are both men?"


	5. Haruhi's a GIRL?

**A/N: Renge could throw a wrench into the plans, but maybe not since Haruhi does want to come out as a girl. We will just have to wait and see. Happy reading and if you get a chance, please review. **

Chapter 5 – Haruhi's A… Girl?

As the ground started to tremble and the platform started to rise, a long figure stood at the pinnacle looking at the group of hosts with disbelief on her face. When the platform reached its apex, Renge asked, "How can Kyoya and Haruhi get married if they are both men?"

All seven hosts looked at their lady manager like she had grown another head. They had forgotten all about her, and there was the little fact that Renege still had no clue that Haruhi was really a girl.

Haruhi turned her gaze to Kyoya and shrugged, "Well it isn't like I am not coming out soon with the truth anyway. We may as well tell her now that she has overheard our little announcement."

Pushing up his glasses, Kyoya furrowed his brow thinking quickly of all the pros and cons of the situation, but really they didn't have much of a choice. If they lied and said that it was going to be a commitment ceremony, when Renge found out that Haruhi was a girl later on, it would only make things worse. Nodding, Kyoya turned to Renge and ordered, "Come down off of that thing and sit down. We need to have a little chat."

"Of course Kyoya," Renge agreed with hearts in her eyes. If it was true and her two favorite hosts were in a devoted relationship to each other, she was going to be in heaven and have the biggest piece of gossip for her next edition of _Moe Moe Ouran Diary_.

Everyone could already tell that her MOE senses were already making assumptions about what could possibly be going on between Kyoya and Haruhi. She was about to get her get her bubble popped in a big way and there was no way to know how she was going to react.

"Are you two sure about this?" Hikaru and Kaoru asked in chorus as they gave awkward glances at the manager.

"Yah mommy, she might not take this well and we have to protect our little girl," Tamaki stated shakily. He was really worried about how Renge would react. She wasn't exactly known for her calm demeanor.

"Will you guys relax? I don't see that we have much of a choice, besides Haruhi wants to come out as a girl soon anyway. This may prove beneficial in the long run, and if not, well I have ways of making sure she stays quiet for now," Kyoya leered causing all three of them to shrink back in terror.

Rolling her eyes, Haruhi grabbed the hand that was wrapped around her waist still and squeezed it in warning, "Stop it, I don't want to have to clean up any messes from them running away from you or any mushrooms Tamaki-senpai may grow in his corner."

Sighing dramatically, Kyoya whispered in her ear, "I was just having a little fun with them."

"They look like they are about to wet themselves and you know it. I refuse to clean up any messes like that. I think you have proven your point that you are the Shadow King and you are not to be trifled with," Haruhi murmured causing Kyoya to laugh.

"Too bad it doesn't work on you," Kyoya spoke so low only she could hear him before he kissed her neck. He could feel the goose bumps he caused and smiled at the reaction.

Haruhi's only response to Kyoya's teasing was to elbow him in the side. She couldn't believe his audacity sometimes.

When Renge was seated on one of the couches, Kyoya and Haruhi sat across from her on another couch. The remaining hosts sat in the remaining seats available in the area. Tamaki got the good fortune (if you call it that) to be sitting next to Renge on the same couch.

"Renge, thank you for joining us," Kyoya offered her his host smile and watched her blush. She really didn't know when someone was being forthright with her and when someone was hosting her.

"Anything for you and Haruhi, Kyoya," Renge giggled and blushed, bringing her hand up to her cheek and feeling the warmth that was present.

Looking down at Haruhi, Kyoya lifted an eyebrow in silent question. It was obvious that their manager was lost in her own little world, were they sure she could accept the truth? When he got nothing but another shrug from his fiancé, he forged on, "Renge, as you overheard, Haruhi and I are engaged to be married. We can be married because Haruhi is not a man. She is in fact a girl."

All eyes turned to Renge as soon as the revelation had been made. They wanted, no they needed, to know what her response was going to be.

Renge looked at the couple dumbfounded and then started to laugh, "No really, what's going on?"

Pushing his glasses up once more to catch the light and creating the glare he loved so much, Kyoya stated, "We are not joking. Haruhi is a girl and has been posing as a boy so that she could be a host and pay off a debt. She and I are very much together and will be getting married."

"Ok, the joke is over with. Come on, Haruhi isn't a girl. Right guys?" Renge laughed nervously and looked at the other hosts. All of them looked serious and were nodding. When she looked at Haruhi, she knew that Kyoya was telling her the truth. The laughter died and there was dead silence until she screamed, "WHAT?!"

Sighing, Haruhi knew this was coming. Renge tended to react to some things like Tamaki did, and when it came to Kyoya or Haruhi, Renge was over the top. Rolling her eyes as the other hosts ducked for cover, Haruhi calmly stated, "It's true. I am a girl and I was acting as a host to pay off a debt that I obtained last year. I wanted to pay it off on my own and not with help, so it took me until yesterday to pay off the 8 million yen I owed the host club." Under her breath, she added, "Although it probably wouldn't have taken so long to pay it off if it hadn't been for three morons."

"You really are a girl? But you host girls!" Renge screeched.

"Well it was either host girls or be an errand girl. I could pay off the debt faster if I hosted than if I just ran errands. I wanted it to be paid off in this lifetime," Haruhi grumbled.

Shaking her head, Renge couldn't quite believe what she was hearing, "No, no, no, no, no, no. Am I dreaming?" Trying to wake herself up, she pinched her arm and knew she was not asleep, she was not dreaming, she was very much awake, and this was not a delusion.

"I'm really sorry Renge. I never meant to lie to you or anyone else. If they would have asked, I would have told them I was a girl, but everyone assumed I was a guy," Haruhi continued.

"Well what do you expect when you wear a boy's uniform?" The French girl yelled.

"Actually, everyone here, with the exception of Kyoya, assumed I was a boy from the beginning. They each figured it out on their own with Tamaki being the last. Although, now that I think about it, the only reason he  
found out is because he caught me changing," Haruhi frowned as she thought about her start in the host club.

"No, he would have figured it out that day because I gave you a girl's uniform to wear after the water was spilled on you. I was tired of him being oblivious and wanted to see his reaction to the news. I just didn't realize that his daddy act would be so over the top or that he would pull me into it," Kyoya smirked.

"Hey now, wait a minute!" Tamaki stood up with his arm in the air like he wanted to make a point and then did nothing. He was a statue.

"Yes Tamaki?" Kyoya inquired.

"Nothing mommy," Tamaki squeaked and retook his seat.

Leering at the host club king, Kyoya mocked him, "I thought not."

"So you are telling me that Haruhi is a girl and has been this whole time?" Renge queried hesitantly.

"That is correct," Kyoya stated. "_It isn't like she could have gotten an operation without time away from school and the student body finding out,"_ he snapped in his head.

"And you two are engaged now?" she questioned the couple.

Haruhi barely kept herself from face palming at this point, "Yes, Kyoya asked me to marry him last night and I said yes. I am a girl and I have been the whole time. I have been working as a host for almost two years and I have been dressing as a boy in order to host."

"So when did you start going out?" Renge inquired enthusiastically suddenly very interested in the love story of Kyoya and Haruhi.

Kyoya in a nervous habit pushed his glasses up and looked down at Haruhi. She was glancing up at him with wide eyes and a slight blush to her cheeks. This was not something they thought they would discuss with people, and it was still a little awkward to talk about.

"Do you not know when you started to go out? How did you end up together if you don't know when you started dating?" Renge asked; her voice reminiscent of nails on a chalkboard.

Returning their gazes to Renge, they were prepared to see snakes and were a bit relieved that her Medusa persona had remained dormant thus far. "Well you see, we kind of started dating last year, but were in the middle of the relationship before we knew we were dating. Then we took a break, and got back together the day before Valentine's Day. Isn't that about right Kyoya?" Haruhi replied scowling as she tried to come up with the best answer for the question.

"Yes, that is correct. We started to get closer after our host club vacation last year, and we were already in a relationship before we put a label to anything," Kyoya responded.

"But why did you break up? Tell me everything!" Renge demanded as she sat forward in her seat.

Both Kyoya and Haruhi studied her for a minute before Kyoya stated, "This is not an interview and anything we are telling you will not go in your magazine. In fact, until we are fully prepared to share Haruhi's true gender with the school, you will not utter one word about this to anyone outside of this room." His voice was calm and collected, and it was very cold.

Sitting back once again, Renge knew that Kyoya had an underlying threat in his words. She looked from Kyoya to Haruhi and had to wonder how those two could have ended up together. "I won't tell a soul!" Renge vowed.

"Good, now that we have that out of the way, I don't believe there is anything else to discuss," Kyoya announced as he stood up and helped Haruhi to her feet. He was about to tell her to get her stuff and he would take her home, but it appeared that Renge was already pulling her towards the door while his fiancé protested.

"Come on Haruhi! Now that I know you are a girl, we can hang out and become best friends. Let's go play my new video game!" Renge screamed as she dragged Haruhi out of the room.

"Well I guess the boss got his wish," Hikaru muttered absentmindedly.

"Excuse me? What are you talking about?" Tamaki asked.

"Haruhi is becoming Renge's girlfriend!" The twins laughed.

Sighing, Kyoya knew he was going to get an earful later tonight, but this could prove to be advantageous for Haruhi's "coming out". With Renge on their side, she might be able to buffer the reaction to the other students, and help to usher in their acceptance of the female Haruhi. Now to actually finalize a plan so that they can reveal her secret before something is spilled accidentally.


	6. Party Planning

**A/N: Well Renge now knows the secret and has taken Haruhi to be her new bff. Poor Haruhi is being subjected to the Uki-Doki Memorial video game. LOL. You know you feel bad for her also. LOL. This story should be wrapping up in another couple of chapters and the other students will know of Haruhi's secret soon enough. Here is the new chapter. Enjoy and review if you can. Thank you everyone!**

Chapter 6 – Party Planning

Kyoya walked into his house and checked his phone once again. He had been checking it periodically in case Haruhi called or texted requesting extraction from Renge's house. Knowing how much of an enthusiast the otaku could be (that was putting it mildly), he knew that he needed to be on alert to rescue his fiancé at a moment's notice.

"Is there something interesting on your phone?" Yoshio Ootori inquired as he walked out of the living room. When he was informed that his youngest son had arrived home, he went to greet Kyoya in order to talk to him about something important, and he found was his son looking at his phone as if willing the object to do something for him.

Snapping his head up, Kyoya was instantly aware of who had spoken and the fact that he was more enraptured by his phone than what was going on around him. That wasn't good. Plastering on a bland face and looking at his father in the eye, Kyoya stated, "Not at all father. Haruhi was out with a friend and said that she might call me to pick her up in a bit. I was checking to make sure she had not messaged me yet."

"I see. Are there any problems?" Yoshio smirked. Although their relationship had improved, it was far from perfect and he still believed in pushing his children to their full potential.

"No father," Kyoya answered. He always felt on guard around the patriarch, and still pushed himself to do his best. He may have Haruhi now, but he still had to do what he could to make sure he was the best in his father's eyes.

"Good. I wanted to talk to you about your relationship," Yoshio started. He saw his son stiffen and knew that Kyoya was now on high alert. "Calm down, you know I have already given you my permission to be with her and marry her. I believe she will make an excellent wife for you and an asset to the Ootori family."

Although he did not relax his guard, Kyoya did feel more at ease, "Then what did you need to speak to me about? Should Haruhi be here?"

"She does not necessarily need to be here, but we need to make plans. Please follow me," the father instructed and led the way to his office. He motioned for Kyoya to sit down and continued, "I know that you are planning on asking her to marry you, have you asked her yet?"

"Yes, I asked her last night and she said 'yes'," Kyoya smiled at the memory unable to hold in his happiness at that moment.

Letting a brief smile appear on his face before it was wiped away, Yoshio could not be more pleased right now. Haruhi Fujioka may be a commoner, but she had more gumption and class than many people that were born to a higher status. She would be a boon to the Ootori Empire and the perfect wife for his son. "That is wonderful. Congratulations Kyoya! Then I wanted to talk to you about the engagement party. I know that it could be a problem since her gender is still unknown by the majority of the school, so I wanted to discuss it with you before we set a date and made the arrangements. However, we do need to make the official announcement and have an engagement party sooner rather than later."

Kyoya thought about it for a moment and realized that it might be the opportunity they were looking for in order to announce Haruhi's true gender. He would need to discuss it with his fiancé first though, but since she wanted to inform the school as soon as possible, she may not be completely against the idea. Pushing up his glasses and glancing at his father, Kyoya affirmed, "I will talk to Haruhi tonight when I speak to her, and we will get back to you on when we can have the party."

Studying his son, he wondered what Kyoya was thinking. His two older sons were easy to read, but his youngest one was just as good as him at masking almost everything. "That is acceptable," Yoshio spoke with an air of authority.

"Thank you father. Was there anything else you needed?" Kyoya asked as his phone buzzed informing him that he had a new text message. Sending a brief glance at his phone, he could see that it was Haruhi.

"No, that is all. You are dismissed," Yoshio said as he opened a file that had been placed on the desk for his review.

Standing up and bowing towards his father, Kyoya made his exit before dialing Haruhi's phone. When she answered, he spoke, "Hi Haruhi." He could hear Renge laughing in the background. She sounded like she was talking to someone, but Kyoya was certain that she was talking at the video game.

"You are despicable," Haruhi grumbled to Kyoya.

Kyoya swallowed his laughter and inquired, "Did you want me to rescue the fair princess in distress? I would also like to point out that it wasn't my fault that she grabbed you and pulled you out of the door." He was already moving towards the door so that he could get into his car. He had told his driver to have it ready to go at any time because Kyoya knew he would have to leave soon to get Haruhi.

"Now listen here…" Haruhi started, but she was interrupted by Renge. When she had dealt with the other girl, Haruhi returned back to her phone conversation, "You need to get over here and get me out of here now! If you want to marry me, you will get me out of this place in the next few minutes. Do you understand? I can't take any more of this stupid video game or being surrounded by dolls that look like you. It is a bit creepy the way she fawns over them." Haruhi was shuddering as thoughts of Renge and those dolls were moving through her mind like a motion picture.

"I am already on my way," Kyoya declared as the car started to pull away from his estate and towards the Houshakuji house. Something told him he better to hurry.

"Good!" Haruhi grumbled and disconnected the line without a good bye. She needed to inform her gracious hostess that she would be leaving shortly, "Renge?"

"Oh Haruhi, isn't this the most fun ever?!" Renge gushed as she worked through her video game.

Inwardly grimacing, Haruhi plastered on her host smile, "The greatest fun, but Kyoya just called and we have plans tonight with his family. So he is on his way over to pick me up." She really hoped that Renge couldn't see through her lie. Although the other girl wasn't able to pick up on the fact that Haruhi was really a girl this whole time, so the odds were in her favor.

Looking a little disappointed, Renge turned to gaze at Haruhi and smiled, "I understand. Will you do something with me another day?"

"Um, sure. Just tell me when and give me time to make sure that I have nothing else going on that day. Ok?" Haruhi answered. She wasn't sure why, but she had a feeling that for as outgoing as the girl was, she didn't have many real friends.

Rushing to pull her new friend into a hug, Renge screamed, "Yay! I can't wait to hang out with you some more. I just know that we are going to be really good friends!"

Haruhi wondered if she would have any hearing left after that, but chuckled, "Yah, I think we could have fun. Well, I am going to go and get my stuff so that I can go as soon as Kyoya gets here."

"Well, if you had to fall in love with a host, you picked the best one," Renge sighed dreamily.

Laughing, the female host declared, "He is a good one." Before Renge could comment further or pull her into another game, Haruhi moved towards the door and grabbed her book bag. She needed to get out of there as soon as possible, and the moment Kyoya showed up, she was diving into the limo.

"Oh young love developing when you met in the host club, longing for each other, and casting loving glances across the room. You had to overcome the differences in your status and your ages, but to you love was more important and you overcame. Fighting family oppression, you both knew that no one could stand in your way and did whatever it took to be together. He fought the other hosts for your hand and won in the end. Your love endured time and hardship to blossom into something lasting," Renge gushed dreamily.

Haruhi rolled her eyes at the club's manager, "Um yah, well I will be going now." Making her way out of the door as Renge continued her speech, Haruhi started to walk to the front door. As soon as the maid brought her shoes and jacket to her, the doorbell rang and Haruhi knew her prince was there to rescue her. _"Thank God!" _she said to herself.

The same maid that had brought Haruhi her things answered the door and admitted the bespectacled youth that Haruhi had been waiting on. When Kyoya saw his fiancé, he smiled, "Well you seem to be in one piece still."

"No thanks to you," Haruhi grumbled as she put on her shoes and jacket.

"I came as soon as I got your text message. Are you ready to go?"

"Yes, let's get out of here. Renge is still playing her game, or dreaming of our love story," Haruhi muttered.

Smirking, Kyoya stated, "Well then let us be off." He guided her out of the house and into the car. When the car was on its way, Kyoya gazed at the girl next to him, "We do need to talk. Do you want to come over to my place, or are we going to yours? There is no school tomorrow, so we don't have to worry about the time."

"Well, we can go to my place and not have to worry about being interrupted. I can cook dinner if you haven't eaten."

"That sounds good. I actually have not eaten yet. I was pulled into a meeting with my father as soon as I got home and then you needed to be liberated, so I haven't stopped since leaving school."

Stretching to place a kiss on Kyoya's lips, Haruhi pulled back beaming, "Thank you for being my knight in shining armor."

Kyoya pulled her in for a more thorough kiss and when he had kissed her (well and him) senseless, he whispered across her lips, "I am willing to be your dragon slayer anytime you need me my lady."

"Good to hear," Haruhi quietly stated blushing.

The car pulled up to the apartment complex and the couple got out making their way to Haruhi's unit. When they were inside, Haruhi started the water for tea and started to pull out the ingredients for their dinner. Kyoya never left her side and actually helped her periodically, but Haruhi usually declined his help since he didn't know much about cooking.

As soon as the food was on the table and they sat down to eat, Haruhi started her inquisition, "What did you father want tonight?"

"Actually that is what I needed to talk to you about. How about we eat and then we will talk," Kyoya suggested.

"Fine," she murmured and started to eat her dinner.

Kyoya thought about how to breach the subject with Haruhi, but was confident that it would offer the best solution. _"Well, I will just tell her about the engagement party and see what she says," _Kyoya thought.

When dinner had been eaten and the dishes cleared, Haruhi turned to Kyoya and narrowed her eyes, "Dinner eaten and the dishes have been cleared. What did your father want?"

"Worried?" Kyoya joked.

"Not particularly. If he didn't approve of me or us, I wouldn't be allowed at your house and I wouldn't attend family dinners. Plus, your father was happy when we got back together. So no, I am not worried."

Chuckling, Kyoya smiled and gave her a brief kiss on the cheek, "You are right. He is very happy that you and I are together once again. He actually wanted to talk to me about our engagement. He was very pleased to hear that we are now engaged to be married, but informed me that we needed to announce our betrothal and have an engagement party soon. I know that it may seem like a lot for you, but in the circles that my family belongs, it is normal to have a party immediately after the engagement."

"I see."

"Now, I was thinking that this could be the perfect opportunity to 'come out of the closet' so to speak."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, many of the families that would come have children at Ouran. If we announce the betrothal to them, your gender would be announced and the secret would be over. The next week, you could start dressing in the girl's uniform. Renge would be able to help with damage control, along with the other hosts. Although, I believe for the most part that everything will be fine when we tell everyone."

Haruhi thought about what Kyoya had said and finally hit her fist in her other hand declaring, "I think it could work. When is the party?"

"That will be up to us. What do you think?"

"Well, I don't want to drag it out too long."

Pulling out his phone to look at his schedule (and his father's), he declared, "We can do two or three weeks from tomorrow if you would like."

"That will work. Do you think that maybe we can tell some of my regulars that have been with me since the beginning? If they accept it, it might help with damage control also. Plus, I think it should come from me instead of the grapevine or an announcement at a party."

"I agree. Your loyal regulars should be told by us instead of finding out elsewhere."

"I said me, not us."

"I am planning on being there when you tell them. I won't say anything, but I will be by your side. You should not and will not have to go through any part of this alone. I am by your side now and forever. Remember that."

Smiling at her chosen one, Haruhi addressed Kyoya, "Ok, you will be by my side. I kind of like the sound of that." She leaned over and gave him a kiss. Talk for the next while was halted as the couple started to kiss and talk by other means.

Before they went too far though, Kyoya's phone rang pulling them back down to earth. He grabbed his phone out of his pocket and looked at the caller id before groaning and answering the phone, "What do you want Tamaki?"

Haruhi face palmed. They were in the middle of a make out session and her fiancé answers the phone of his best friend. Then again, as she thought about it, if Kyoya had not answered, Tamaki would have probably kept calling until he did.

Sighing as he hung up the phone a couple of minutes later, Kyoya looked at Haruhi and stated, "Tamaki wants to have a party for us at host club. I told him that it was not possible at this time, but after you come out as a girl, then we can talk. He also wanted to tell me that I needed to make sure to take care of you or as your father he was going to kill me."

Haruhi rolled her eyes and sweat dropped, "I swear he will be the death of me one day."

"He is a special one," Kyoya laughed.

"Ok, so the party will be two or three weeks away?"

"I will talk to my father and I will let you know when the official date is. We can then plan on when we will tell your customers your secret. I am sure my father will have his standard guest list and then if someone is missing, we can add them. I will have that within a few days."

"I know that it has to be a big production because you are Kyoya Ootori, but I really don't like all of that."

"I know you don't. Thank you for putting up with all of this for me."

"I don't have much of a choice, do I? I mean if I want to be with you, I have to get used to it. Right?"

"That would be correct. I could leave my family though."

"Yah, right."

"I would for you," Kyoya declared with a very serious look on his face.

Haruhi studied him for a moment before putting her hands on his cheeks and looking at him straight in the eye, "I would never ask you to do that. You are who I want to be with, the good and bad."

Pulling her towards him, Kyoya quietly murmured, "I know you wouldn't."

"I love you," Haruhi whispered.

"I love you too. You help keep me sane and grounded," Kyoya smiled down at the girl in his arms. She was his life and he would do anything in order to keep her in his life. He wasn't lying when he told her that he can't life without her again. She has wormed her way into his heart and his life, and he can no longer be without her. If Haruhi wanted him to give up his life as it was, he would; but he knew that she would never ask that of him and it made him love her that much more. Holding her a little tighter, he said a little prayer of thanksgiving for bringing her back into his life. No matter what it took, he would do anything it took to keep her by his side.


	7. Wake Up, It's Time for Breakfast

**A/N: Kyoya was able to rescue Haruhi from Renge's grasp. LOL. They also have a plan to reveal her gender. Let's hope it goes off without too many problems. You never know what will happen at Ouran though. LOL. Enjoy the next chapter and review if you get the chance. THANK YOU EVERYONE!**

Chapter 7 – Wake Up, It's Time for Breakfast

Haruhi woke up on Sunday to a banging on the door and she groaned. It couldn't be Kyoya because he was not scheduled to leave town until after his graduation, so she had no clue who could possibly be trying to gain access into her house. Whoever it was, she was to kill though. She had stayed up late the night before going over a guest list with Kyoya, and tonight she had to go over to his house to meet with his father. Looking at the clock, it was only 7:03 am and still way too early to get up on a normal weekend let alone a morning where she only got five hours of sleep. Yes, whoever was at the door was dead meat.

Getting out of bed and throwing on her robe over her tank top and pj bottoms, Haruhi made her way to the door. As she approached the door, she immediately knew who was banging on the door: Tamaki and the twins. Hitting speed dial one on her phone, she really hoped he picked up.

"Who the hell is this and why are you calling at this hour?" Kyoya growled into the phone loudly.

Haruhi knew that it could be problematic to call her fiancé as early as it was, but if she had to suffer then he would suffer with her, "It's me, and do you know who is at my door right now?"

"Haruhi?" Kyoya asked confused and pulled the phone away from his ear to examine it before putting the phone back up to his ear, "Is everything ok?"

"Yes Haruhi, who else would have the guts to call you first thing in the morning, well besides Tamaki? For your next question… no, it is not! Do you know who is outside my door right now? There are at least three of them unless you, Mori-senpai, and Hunny-senpai are with them, but somehow I think those three were afraid of waking you and Hunny which means Mori wasn't woken up either," Haruhi grumbled pausing when she heard Tamaki call out for her daughter, "Do you hear that?"

Kyoya had been trying to wake up during her spiel. He knew he needed to do something, but part of him really wanted to go back to bed and sleep. Thinking about what he could do so that both of them won in the end, he ordered, "Answer the door and put Tamaki on the phone."

"You want me to let those three in?"

"Well if you don't answer, he will get louder and louder. It is your call."

"Fine, but you owe me for having to deal with these three this morning."

"You called me at this ungodly hour, isn't that payment enough?" Kyoya argued. If this didn't work, he knew that he would have to go over to Haruhi's house and throw out the imposers himself.

"I am thinking that I deserve some ootoro for this," Haruhi teased. She could hear the laugh coming from the other line and knew that Kyoya understood her joke, "Hold on." Walking towards the door, she flipped the locks and let it swing open. Standing in her doorway were Tamaki, the twins, and by some miracle Hunny and Mori. Haruhi had to do a double take when she saw the two people she least expected to see, "Umm Kyoya, Hunny and Mori are…" She was unable to finish the sentence because she quickly found herself in the arms of Tamaki.

"There you are my beautiful daughter! I was beginning to worry when you didn't answer the door when we first knocked. I wondered if I needed to call mommy or the police to knock down your door, but you are perfectly safe. I am so happy to see you are fine! It is a gorgeous morning and since mommy said we can't have a party to celebrate your engagement, we decided to take your out for a celebratory breakfast!" Tamaki gushed as he swung her around the tiny apartment.

"How are we going to celebrate without Kyoya? Put me down senpai!" Haruhi tried to be firm but quiet since she still had neighbors to think about.

"You are so adorable this morning!" Tamaki continued, but soon his arms felt empty and he watched as Mori rescued Haruhi and placed her out of arms reach, "Mori-senpai, I was just telling her good morning!"

Putting the phone back up to her ear, she barked a bit more harshly than she intended, "Are you getting this?"

Kyoya shook his head and sighed, his day was starting a lot earlier than he wanted and he knew now he had no choice but to get up. Well this would allow them to tell the others of the plan, but why did it have to be so early? "I heard him. Put him on the phone," Kyoya muttered.

"Tamaki-senpai, mommy wants to talk to daddy," Haruhi sneered and handed the phone to her blonde friend.

"Hello?" Tamaki spoke brightly and was excited to tell his best friend the plan to celebrate.

Taking a deep breath to try to calm himself, Kyoya spoke in a deathly calm voice (this didn't bode well), "Are you a complete and utter baka, or is it just sometimes? Why the hell are you at Haruhi's apartment this early in the morning and why are the others with you? We both have a family function tonight at my house and neither one of us have gotten a lot of sleep."

"Mommy! I'm sorry. We wanted to take you out to celebrate your engagement because you said no parties," Tamaki whined not actually fazed by the fact that his best friend was more than likely ready to kill him.

"So why couldn't we meet for brunch? Why did you have to wake us up at 7 in the morning?" Kyoya was now starting to raise his voice.

Tamaki squeaked, "We thought that if we got Haruhi up first, she could wake you up, and she did. Now that you are up, you can get ready and we will pick you up." Tamaki sounded really proud of himself.

"We both want to go back to sleep, so your little celebration will have to wait," Kyoya stated forcefully.

Tamaki heard the shower turn on and looked around the room, Haruhi was missing, "Where is my daughter?"

Shaking their heads at his simple mindedness, Hikaru and Kaoru spoke up, "She is in the shower Tono."

Tamaki turned his attention back to the phone conversation, "Our daughter is in the shower and getting ready to go. We will be by to pick you up in about forty minutes."

Groaning, Kyoya took a deep breath and released it, "Now listen here Tama…" He heard a click and then looked at the phone. Tamaki had hung up on him. He was a dead man; no one hung up on Kyoya or woke him up like this! Yet within minutes, Kyoya found himself standing under the spray of his shower head getting ready to face the host club and an irritable fiancé, "So much for taking charge of that situation." However, Kyoya was a resourceful man and he sent a quick text to Haruhi to tell her to bring her stuff for tonight with her. Maybe they could get rid of the club after breakfast and they could get some shuteye before dinner. She could just get ready at his house.

Haruhi knew that Kyoya wasn't going to win the fight and instead of waiting around and watching the defeat, she grabbed some clothes and went to the bathroom to take her shower. She had learned long ago when to argue and fight, and when to give in. This morning was one of those days when it was best to just go with the host club plans.

After Haruhi got out of the shower and made it into the living room to confront her friends, she felt a little more awake, but still wanted to kill a certain blonde ring master. Glaring, she grumbled, "What did Kyoya say?"

"OH MY GOD HARUHI! YOU LOOK SO CUTE IN THAT DRESS!" Tamaki screeched and attempted to rush her. He was stopped by a grip on his arm and found Hunny holding him back, "Hunny-senpai?"

"Haru-Chan does not need for you to hug her right now. You got all of us up for breakfast, so let her finish getting ready so that we can go get Kyo-Chan," Hunny stated. He really could be serious when he wanted to be. He turned to Haruhi and smiled, "You look kawaii!" Everyone nodded their agreement of his last statement admiring her in a white sundress with cap sleeves and an empire waist. A ribbon went around just under her bust line and tied in a bow in the center of the dress.

Grinning at Hunny, she blushed, "Thank you everyone. Where is my phone?"

"Here," Mori said as he handed her the phone. He wasn't about to tell her that Tamaki had started trying to mess with her contact list before he took it away from the king.

"Thanks Mori-senpai," Haruhi took the phone and noticed a new text message. When she saw Kyoya's text, she went into her room to grab her dress and everything else she would need tonight. Soon enough she was all packed and walked back into the room where her friends were waiting for her, "Ok, let's go get Kyoya before I change my mind."

"What's that Haruhi?" The twins asked simultaneously.

Haruhi narrowed her eyes on her two identical friends, "My things for tonight. Since you decided to wake me up early, and Kyoya and I are having dinner with his family, he figured it would be easier for me to grab my things now and bring them over. I will get ready at his house. Hopefully I can get in a nap too since I am apparently not allowed to sleep in on a Sunday; and before you ask… no, you cannot see it."

Tamaki screamed at the death look she was shooting him (well it was shot at everyone, but Tamaki believed it was directed solely at him), and he flew into the closet to be surrounded by his fungi friends. "My daughter is mad at me," he pouted.

"Senpai, if you do not get out of the closet and get rid of all of those mushrooms, I will not go out to breakfast with you and you will have to deal with Kyoya alone," Haruhi threatened. It worked too because Tamaki was suddenly out of the closet and there was not a mushroom in sight. Rolling her eyes, she huffed, "Let's just go before I change my mind."

The group made it into the car without further incident. The twins did try to sneak a peek at her outfit for tonight before it was taken by the driver, but they were not given the chance to see anything besides the fact that it was lavender. Tamaki tried to glop her again, but he was thwarted by Mori and Haruhi was allowed to go to the car in peace (well as peaceful as it can be with the host club). Haruhi sat next to a window and Hunny sat next to her, forcing Tamaki to sit somewhere else in the car. All in all, it was a normal Sunday morning with the host club.

As the car pulled up to the Ootori mansion, Tamaki had his face plastered to the window looking out. Haruhi thought he looked like a dog that was excited to see his master again, and had to hold in her laughter. When he started to look disappointed, she hesitantly inquired, "What's wrong now?"

"He isn't waiting for us," Tamaki sulked.

"What?" She couldn't have heard him right.

"Mommy isn't waiting for us at the door," Tamaki turned his pitiful face on Haruhi: sad eyes and bottom lip sticking out ever so slightly.

Haruhi had to choke down her laughter, but noticed that the others in the car were not as successful, "I am sure he is waiting on us, but he is probably still getting ready. I mean we, or I should say I, still have to go in and hang up my dress."

"Hey boss, is this a relationship with Haruhi and Kyoya, and you inserting yourself?" Hikaru asked teasingly.

"Yah Tono, you lost mommy to daughter," Kaoru snickered.

Hunny couldn't help but laugh at the look on Tamaki's face and the words that were spouting out of the twins mouths. Right before the limo stopped, he stated, "Tama-Chan, we will still love you even though we are no Kyo-Chan!" That got everyone laughing and when the limo stopped, they watched as Tamaki was the first one to stumble out of the limo.

"He probably isn't waiting just inside the door either Tono!" The twins called out as everyone else started to exit the car.

The group made their way to the house and was given access by a butler. He recognized all of the faces in the group, but when he saw Haruhi, he smiled, "Good morning young masters, miss. Master Kyoya is in his room. Haruhi-san, I know better than to ask if you need an escort. You know the way."

"Thank you Hiro-san. I brought my items for tonight. Can you make sure that they are hung up? The driver wouldn't give them back to me and said he would make sure they were taken care of," Haruhi explained as she walked into the large house.

"I will see that it is done," Hiro declared.

"Thank you," Haruhi smiled and then started to follow the rest of the group to Kyoya's room. Tamaki also knew the way and was leading the charge.

The small group was stopped when they heard someone say Haruhi's name. "I thought that was you. Kind of early for an outing isn't it? If you are here to wake Kyoya up, you may want to wear protective gear Tamaki."

"Yuuichi?" Tamaki asked.

"I know it hasn't been that long since I have seen you Tamaki," the eldest Ootori son laughed.

"Hi Yuuichi-kun. Kyoya should already be up since I called him earlier. What are you doing up so early?" Haruhi asked.

"I have some hospital rounds this morning and some things to take care of. Worried I won't be at dinner tonight?" Yuuichi smirked. That smirk was reminiscent of both Yoshio and Kyoya, but the eldest son did not pull it off nearly as well.

The hosts were looking at Yuuichi and Haruhi. Was there an underlying current of hostility or were they joking with each other? No one could really tell. They knew that Kyoya was trying to become the heir and Yuuichi for all intents and purposes should be the heir since he was first born, but Yoshio was dangling the carrot for all three of them to bite. They also knew the role Akito played in the breakup the couple had suffered months prior.

"Not at all, I knew you would be there to support your brother," Haruhi smiled.

"Not that he needs it. Father already supports and approves, so I am not sure what is needed from me," he laughed.

The hosts were watching the exchange like a tennis match. So Yuuichi Ootori approved of the engagement?

"It is nice having the support of the entire family and since…" Haruhi started the air of teasing dissipating.

Placing his hand on her shoulder, Yuuichi stated, "Hey, he thought he was helping and he was actually shooting himself in the foot. Don't worry, that won't happen again. Although you should know that Akito will be back from Alaska, and will be at dinner tonight."

"I thought he was going to be gone for a while longer though!" Haruhi rushed feeling slightly panicked at that announcement.

"He was supposed to be, and I am not even sure if this is a visit or if he is allowed back. He will not do anything to you though. I think he learned his lesson. I just wanted to let you know because I am not sure if Kyoya has been informed yet," Yuuichi said trying to reassure the small girl in front of him. Looking around, he noticed the looks that the rest of the club was giving him. It was apparent they weren't sure if he could be trusted or not; and there was some disbelief about the small level of affection he was giving to Haruhi. Chuckling, he turned back to Haruhi, "Put it out of your mind for now. I believe you and the others are here to see Kyoya. I am not certain he is as awake as you claim he is, but go look for yourself. I have to go to the hospital."

Plastering her host smile on her face, Haruhi nodded, "Thank you Yuuichi. I will see you tonight. Come on guys; let's see if Kyoya went back to sleep after Tamaki-senpai hung up on him."

The group made their way up the stairs to Kyoya's bedroom and knocked. Apparently, they had made an unspoken decision that Haruhi would be the first to enter and if nothing happened to her, the rest of the hosts would follow her in. She opened the door and walked in the room and at the count of ten, when nothing happened, the others walked in to see Kyoya kissing Haruhi.

"Um mommy, I think that is enough k-kissing. You and d-daughter are not m-m-married yet," Tamaki stammered.

Breaking off the kiss and sighing, Kyoya lifted his head, "So you brought all of them up here with you?"

"Tamaki led the charge, but somehow I was the one that opened the door," Haruhi smirked knowing that everyone else had been afraid to enter (well maybe not Mori).

"I see," Kyoya leered at the others while pushing his glasses up his face, "Well, now that you have woken both of us up, for breakfast of all things, let's be off before I am tempted to throw all of you, besides Haruhi, out."

"Mommy, you wouldn't throw daddy out. Would you?" Tamaki asked his best friend.

Scowling at the cause of the entire ruckus this morning, he sneered, "Of course I would. You were the one that woke everyone up this morning."

"Hey Kaoru," Hikaru chuckled and wrapped his arm around his twin's shoulder.

"Yes, Hikaru," Kaoru responded with a grin on his face and wrapped his arm around his brother's waist.

"I think the boss is still trying to make it a threesome," Hikaru laughed.

"I do believe you are right, little brother!" Kaoru started laughing too.

Tamaki turned red and outraged, "I am not! Kyoya is my best friend and as such wouldn't kick me out like he would you ruffians."

"Want to bet?" Kyoya smirked.

Sucking in his breath loudly, Tamaki couldn't believe that his own best friend would turn on him that way, "Kyoya, Mon Ami, you don't mean that."

"I guess we will have to see," Kyoya glared and pushed his glasses up once again. "Now are we going or did I wake up early for no reason?"

The five male hosts gasped. Kyoya looked positively evil and they all knew he hated to be woken up earlier than necessary. Hunny could relate, but liked to think he wasn't as bad as Kyoya. They dashed out of the room yelling various things like, "Don't hurt us!", or "We're going now!", or "Onward to breakfast men, and lady!"

"They really are morons," Kyoya grumbled.

Haruhi sniggered, "Yes, but they are our best friends and you know you won't do anything to them this morning."

"You're right, but they don't have to know that," Kyoya simpered.

Haruhi pulled back from his arms and looked up at him. She was biting her bottom lip, a dead giveaway that something was bothering her.

"What's wrong?" Kyoya asked as he pried her lip free.

"Did you know Akito will be back in time for dinner tonight?" Haruhi probed softly.

Sighing, "No, I didn't, but you shouldn't worry about him. You and I know where we stand with each other and we are more solid than we were before. How did you find out?"

"We ran into Yuuichi on our way up," Haruhi supplied frowning before a smile appeared on her face, "I think the others were surprised that your brother was nice to me."

Chuckling, Kyoya smiled, "I can see how they would be surprised. Tamaki knows about Akito, and I am sure they are all suspicious of both of my brothers due to that."

Breaking up the couple's tête-à-tête, Tamaki burst into the room panting for breath, "Are you two coming or not? Let's go!"

Kyoya grabbed Haruhi's hand and started following Tamaki with her in tow. He turned to look at her and whispered, "I figure this is a good opportunity to inform them of our plan since our party is in two weeks."

Nodding, Haruhi agreed, "Ok, but you do know that after that Tamaki-senpai will want to give us a party of his own."

"I know and that means I have to budget for his eccentric party idea," Kyoya growled stopping in his tracks.

Reaching up to turn his face to look at her, Haruhi gave him a small kiss and told him, "You can do it, you always do." With that the couple continued to follow their exuberant friend out of the Ootori house and into the car. This could very well be a long and tiring morning.


	8. Breakfast with the Hosts

**A/N: I want to say thank you to all of my readers for your support of all of my stories. You are awesome! Now it is time to inform the hosts of the plan for Haruhi's big reveal. How will the others take it? Will Tamaki go overboard? (Well ok, it is Tamaki, so I think that is a given). Enjoy and if you have the opportunity, please review and let me know what you think of the story. **

Chapter 8 – Breakfast With the Hosts

A long and tiring morning did not even begin to describe what happened to Haruhi and Kyoya once they left the Ootori mansion. They really wondered sometimes if they were not babysitting for children versus hanging out with their friends. As soon as everyone was in the car, the morning started to go downhill and there was no rescuing it since it was the host club after all.

Haruhi stepped into the limo and immediately Tamaki was at her side begging to sit next to her. Kyoya got in last and shot his best friend a dark look causing the blonde to yelp in fear and back away from the only female host, immediately finding a nice spot to cultivate his mushrooms. Sighing, the girl tried to be diplomatic, "This car is big enough that Kyoya can sit on one side of me and you can sit on the other, Tamaki-senpai." As soon as the words left her mouth, she regretted it because no sooner did she say the words before she found herself in a backbreaking embrace. "Let go senpai, can't breathe," Haruhi tried to squeak out, but Tamaki was shouting and did not pay attention to his precious "daughter".

Feeling the sudden emptiness of his arms, Tamaki looked around and found Haruhi suddenly sitting on the other side of Kyoya and Mori moving back to his seat. Furrowing his brow, Tamaki started to pout, "Mori-senpai why did you do that? Haruhi said that she would sit next to me. She wants to spend time with her daddy!"

Mori said nothing, but lifted a brow and gave Tamaki a look that clearly said, "You have got to be kidding me." Shaking his head, he checked on his cousin and did not give another thought to the king of the host club.

"Come here my darling daughter!" Tamaki tried to coax Haruhi to move back to her original spot next to him.

"You are not my father and the reason Mori-senpai moved me is because you were going overboard again," Haruhi grumbled.

Pushing up his glasses, Kyoya turned to his best friend and warned him, "Tamaki she is my fiancé and you need to learn to back off. She was turning blue again. I would appreciate you not attempting to kill her before she can actually walk down the aisle. Actually scratch that, do not attempt to kill her at all."

"I wasn't trying to kill her! What are you talking about?" Tamaki started to rant.

"You just like to feel her up then?" The twins asked together.

Jaw hanging open and no sound coming out, he started to turn red and then purple. Tamaki sat frozen in his seat looking at Hikaru and Kaoru. When he finally was able to gain some sort of mobility again, he screeched, "How dare you say that about me! She is nothing more than my daughter and my best friend's bride to be. You will show respect towards me as your king!" He continued to yell, but everyone tuned him out and decided that it wasn't worth listening to him.

"Annoying baka," Haruhi mumbled under her breath so that only Kyoya heard her.

Grabbing Haruhi's hand and squeezing it, Kyoya whispered, "You can't tell me that you are surprised by this."

"Not at all, but that doesn't make it any less annoying," Haruhi replied.

"Agreed," Kyoya said and let go of her hand to check his emails and stock reports on his phone. He wished that he had his computer with him, but that was not feasible since they were going out to breakfast together.

When they finally arrived at the restaurant, Kyoya helped Haruhi out of the car and did not let go of her hand. Although in hindsight, it might have been better if he had because Tamaki grabbed her other hand and started to pull her towards the entrance not paying attention to the fact that she was not really budging yelling, "Come on my beautiful daughter!"

Hunny stepped directly in front of Tamaki and stated in a low deadly voice, "Let her go before you rip her arm off." He smiled and pink little puff balls appeared when he continued, "Ok Tama-Chan?"

Looking behind him, he noticed two dark auras appearing and he gulped, quickly dropping Haruhi's hand. "I-I-I'm sorry. I thought you were right behind me and… SORRY!"

"Hey Hikaru," Kaoru spoke to his brother.

"Yes Kaoru?" Hikaru asked.

"I think the boss is starting to experience empty nest syndrome and doesn't want to let our sister go," Kaoru smirked.

Hikaru wrapped his arms around Kaoru and stated, "I think he is, but where does that leave us? Aren't we the sons? Don't worry Kaoru, as long as we have each other…"

"Oh Hikaru, I would be nothing without you," Kaoru returned the embrace.

Just as the twins looked like they were going to kiss, Kyoya ordered, "Knock it off you two." He escorted Haruhi inside followed by Mori and Hunny. The others did not join them for a couple more minutes. Now this could be bad or good. It could mean plotting or it could mean that they were just struck dumb.

When the remaining three hosts finally joined the others inside the restaurant, Tamaki gave them his name since he was the one that made the reservation; and they were shown to a private room that would allow them to celebrate the engagement without the rest of the establishment overhearing. "Isn't this lovely?" He gushed as soon as the waiter left the room after taking their drink orders.

"It is very nice," Haruhi replied knowing that he might start making a fort in a corner if someone didn't agree with him.

"Oh I am so glad you like it Haruhi. Daddy did all of this for you and Kyoya. He just wants you to be happy!" Tamaki exclaimed and rushed over to her side to pull her into another embrace, but this time he was stopped by the Shadow King himself.

"I think you have done that enough this morning. It is time for you to stop and take your seat, and I suggest you do not even attempt to move to a corner," Kyoya ordered.

Tamaki looking defeated and dejected made his way back to his seat and plopped down without much grace. "I was only trying to celebrate with her," he mumbled.

Taking in a deep breath and letting it out, Kyoya kept telling himself, _"This is Tamaki and this is just the way he is. Although I have decided that it isn't my father trying to test me, it is God!"_ He glanced at Haruhi who gave him a small shrug and decided she was not any help. Giving his attention back to his best friend, he stated, "Tamaki if you want to celebrate with us, that is fine, but you will need to control yourself especially at the engagement party. I don't think my father would appreciate you trying to manhandle his future daughter-in-law."

Immediately Tamaki's countenance changed and his ears perked up, "Engagement party? Does this mean you will let us throw you one?"

"No, it means that my father is throwing us an engagement party in two weeks and all of you are invited," Kyoya responded.

Although it was not as good as being able to give the couple a celebratory party himself, with the help of the other members of the club, Tamaki was thrilled, "Oh Mon Ami! We all accept and we will be there to support both of you!" Instead of pulling Haruhi into his arms, he started to nuzzle the face of the Shadow King.

Kyoya had learned long ago that Tamaki could not be changed and there were times when you just had to go along with his antics. So as he suffered through having his face rubbed with the other man's face, Kyoya tried to keep himself calm and not lash out. When he felt enough time had passed, he pushed Tamaki away and said, "Thank you. I believe it will be a good night for all of us, but there is something else we needed to discuss with you."

Tamaki immediately got serious and looked at the couple sitting across from him. Frowning, he asked, "What is wrong?"

The discussion was interrupted by the waiter returning with their drink orders. After he took their food orders, the twins inquired, "Has your father changed his mind about Haruhi?"

"Why would he be throwing them a party if he changed his mind Hika-Chan, Kao-Chan? Right Takashi?" Hunny questioned them.

"Yah," Mori said in agreement with his cousin. He swore sometimes the twins and Tamaki concentrated on the bad when it came to Haruhi.

Clearing his throat, Kyoya spoke up, "Hunny-senpai is quite right. My father loves Haruhi and is ready to welcome her into the family. However, many of the people being invited will be parents of children that go to Ouran. I can't exactly announce that I am engaged to another man, therefore Haruhi will be coming out as a girl that night."

"WHAT?" A trio of voices shouted.

"So Haru-Chan's secret is going to come out?" Hunny asked.

Sighing, Haruhi decided it was time for her to clear the air, "I told Kyoya that when my debt was paid off, I wanted to reveal my true gender to the school. I am tired of sneaking around with Kyoya and worrying that someone will see or say something. We thought that the night of the engagement party was a good night to do that. However, we will be telling my regular customers before that. Renge has already accepted me as a female, so she will be able to help with crowd control so to speak. If my other customers accept it, then they will be able to help also."

"You don't want to stay our secret princess?" Tamaki whimpered.

"Do you really expect me to go around the rest of the year as a boy when I am engaged? How are we supposed to announce our engagement or have the party without me coming out?" Haruhi queried a little frustrated with Tamaki.

"But if you reveal your secret," Hikaru started.

Kaoru picked up where his brother left off, "Then you won't belong to just us anymore."

"The whole school will be after you," the twins announced simultaneously. Turning their attention to Kyoya, "Do you want the whole school to fawn over your fiancé?"

Raising an eyebrow and giving the twins an incredulous look, he stated very clearly, "Between her engagement ring and the fact that it will be announced that she is engaged to an Ootori, I think she will be safe from predators." In his mind he added, _"With the exception of you three."_

"I think it is a good idea! Haru-Chan won't have to worry about being caught and she can wear her engagement ring without any problems. Plus if she didn't reveal it now, they would have to wait until after she graduated and still the students would find out. I think it is better now. What do you think Takashi?" Hunny declared his support of the plan.

Mori nodded and stated, "I agree."

"You can't possibly think this is a good idea Mori-senpai, Hunny-senpai?" Tamaki cried out.

Hunny scowled, "Do you think she should keep her secret forever Tama-Chan?"

"Well no, but…" Tamaki started and stopped.

"Then pray tell, when do you think is a good time to reveal her gender to the school? If we wait until after graduation, we will be getting married soon after the announcement and there could be more backlash because we kept it so long. Plus, I am a little tired of hiding our relationship and would prefer to see her ring on her all of the time. Tell me this Tamaki, Hikaru, Kaoru… if you were engaged, would you want it hidden? Would you want your fiancé to not wear her ring or be able to show it off?" Kyoya defended him and Haruhi's decision, "This is something she wants and I am going to support her 100%!"

The three offenders looked at each other and then down at the table. The looked abashed and knew that they were in the wrong. It was better to reveal sooner rather than later, but that meant that Haruhi didn't belong to just them any longer, but would belong to the whole school. Then again, she had not belonged to them in a long time; she had been won over by the Shadow King and her heart had belonged to him long ago.

Tamaki was about to speak up, but the waiter chose at that time to deliver their food. When he was dismissed, Tamaki cleared his throat and stood up to speak, "You are right and we apologize for trying to go against your wishes. You have the full support of the host club and we will do anything to help you." When he was done he gave an elegant bow crossing one of his arms over his heart.

"Thank you Tamaki," Kyoya said accepting the apology and everything else that the little speech entailed.

"Yes, thank you Tamaki-senpai. We plan on telling the girls at the end of the week," Haruhi stated.

"So soon?" The twins questioned her.

"It will give them a week to become acclimated to the idea that Haruhi is a girl, and thus when the announcement is made, the shock would have worn off by then," Kyoya explained.

Everyone at the table nodded and without further argument, agreed with the plan. It was still hard for three of the hosts to accept that Haruhi was not going to be their secret princess any longer, but they could not deny her the happiness the disclosure would bring.

As they finished their meal and made their way back to the car, the twins asked, "Does this mean that you won't be a part of the host club any longer?"

"WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?! Of course my daughter will still be a part of the host club. Don't worry my darling Haruhi; daddy won't make you leave just because you will be a girl now!" Tamaki exclaimed.

"A girl… now? I have always been a girl," Haruhi bluntly stated.

Tamaki started to chase the twins around the parking lot ignoring her comment. Hunny was munching on a piece of cake that he bought at the restaurant. Mori was watching Hunny eat the cake and making sure nothing happened to his small cousin. Haruhi and Kyoya faced palmed knowing that this was typical of their friends.

When Haruhi and Kyoya got everyone into the limo once again, they both felt like they ran a marathon and were exhausted. Thankfully, they were going to be the first to be dropped off. Tamaki tried to convince them to do more things as a club or to let everyone stay for a little bit longer at Kyoya's house, but every request was declined, "Tamaki, Haruhi and I have a family dinner tonight, and we have work to do on the engagement party. In addition, you woke both of us up at an ungodly hour of the morning. We will see you at school tomorrow."

"But mommy, we just want to spend time with you and Haruhi," Tamaki whined.

"That is not going to work on me. I am telling you no. We will all see you at school tomorrow," Kyoya stated once again. As the limo pulled up to the Ootori mansion, he got out of the car and then helped Haruhi out of it.

Tamaki tried one more time to spend a little more time with the couple, but when he tried to exit the car, a dark aura pushed him back into the car forcibly. He knew then that family time was done for the day, "We will see you tomorrow Kyoya, Haruhi."

As the car drove off, Kyoya shook his head and murmured, "Sometimes he is so simple that he just doesn't listen." A laugh at his side drew his attention downward.

"And yet somehow he has managed to become your best friend and an important part of our lives," Haruhi giggled.

Wrapping her in his arms, Kyoya kissed the top of his fiancé's head and whispered, "He has at that." He released her and laced his fingers with hers, "Let's go in and take a nap before we have to get ready for tonight."

Haruhi agreed and followed Kyoya into the house. When they had reached the second floor landing, Kyoya stopped and she bumped into him. Looking around her fiancé, she saw the cause of the pause, "Akito."


	9. Brother Dear

**A/N: Akito is back and it looks like our power couple have run into him sooner than either expected. Let's see patience probably low due to dealing with the others, tired because woken up early, and just an overall mistrust of the man… yah this is a set up for disaster. Hopefully it won't be so bad though. Thank you to Valkariekain for your input on Akito. Enjoy everyone!**

Chapter 9 – Brother Dear

"Kyoya, it has been a while. I wasn't expecting to see you until dinner, and who is this behind you? Haruhi, you are here too. How are you doing? I hear congratulations are in order," Akito smiled, but there was a frostiness evident in his eyes.

"Hello Akito," Haruhi said stepping around to stand next to Kyoya. She didn't trust Kyoya's brother at all, but he was still family and as such she offered him a cool politeness and a host smile. Never let your enemy know that you are suspicious of them and plan to stay one step ahead.

"Akito," Kyoya spoke in a sharp direct tone of voice. Dealing with his interfering brother was not high on his to do list after he had to deal with Tamaki and the twins this morning. Keeping his grip on Haruhi's hand tight, he tried to side step his brother, but it appeared Akito was not done with them since blocked his younger brother.

"In a hurry little brother?" Akito asked snidely.

Sighing like he was bored with the conversation already, Kyoya keep his head and spoke casually, "Not at all, but Haruhi and I have had a busy morning and there are some things that we still need to take care of before dinner tonight. Is there something you needed?"

Akito crossed his arms and tried to stare down his brother hoping to provoke him or make him a little nervous, but he realized quickly that Kyoya was one person that would never cower. He faced adversity head on and tried to overcome all challenges; it was a testament to this fact since Kyoya was back together with Haruhi and they were now engaged to be married. In a way he admired his little brother, but he would never admit it out loud. "Am I not allowed to wish you felicitations and well wishes for your engagement?" He queried with a hint of sarcasm in his voice.

Haruhi studied and pondered the man before them and wondered what his game was. She knew that he was probably not happy with his punishment, but really that was his own fault and Yoshio was known for doling out harsh punishments to those who defied him. Determined to stay on the offense, Haruhi grabbed Kyoya's hand a little more firmly and in the sweetest voice she could muster, exclaimed, "Thank you so much Akito-kun. We do appreciate it, don't we Kyoya?"

Pushing his glasses up and looking down at the girl beside him, he plastered on his host smile and returned his gaze to his brother, "Indeed, we thank you for your congratulations."

"So when are you getting married?" Akito asked attempting to sound interested.

"It will not be until after Haruhi graduates from high school," Kyoya explained.

In mock surprise, Akito declared, "Such a long time to wait, and father is ok with this? What if someone tries to steal your lovely fiancé away?"

"He is quite alright with the plans we have made. I do hope you will still be here for the engagement party in a couple weeks. I would hate to think that you were only here for dinner tonight. As for Haruhi, we trust each other and are completely committed to each other. Nothing will come between us again," Kyoya smirked. He knew his brother picked up on his carefully veiled threat.

"That is good to hear," Akito stated with a small grin on his face.

Something about the look Akito was giving them, gave Haruhi chills. Speaking up in order to get out of there as quickly as possible, Haruhi said, "Well if you will excuse us. Kyoya and I have a few things we need to do before dinner and as he said, we have already had a busy morning since we went out to breakfast with our friends. We will see you later Akito. Good bye." She proceeded to drag Kyoya towards his room and away from the Ootori middle child.

Safely tucked away behind Kyoya's closed bedroom door, Haruhi finally released a breath that she had been holding since they had run into Akito. "He was the last person I wanted to see this morning," Haruhi grumbled and plopped down on one of the couches in his sitting area.

"Yes, that was an interesting run in," Kyoya stated a little distractedly and sat down next to her. Kyoya maneuvered his body so that he was sitting facing Haruhi with one leg on the ground and the other tucked under the first leg. He had something he wanted to say and he hoped that she would not take offense. "Haruhi…" he started but stopped unsure of how to proceed.

Haruhi could tell that Kyoya wanted to get something off of his chest, but she was not sure what it was. Deciding to encourage him, she smiled and grabbed his hand, "What is it? Just say whatever you want and we will work through it together."

"Ok. I want to be sure that you are ok with seeing him and the fact that he is here right now. There is a good chance he will be at our engagement party and I want to know that you are on guard around him. I don't want him to try anything like he did the last time and you taking heed to what he has to say. He was wrong then and he would be wrong now if he said anything like that."

The petite girl listened to what her boyfriend had to say and digested it all. She could understand his hesitation and wariness, especially after what happened the last time, but unlike last time they were stronger as a couple and knew where they stood. No, Akito would not get the drop on her again. Lifting her hand and brushing Kyoya's bangs out of his eyes, she spoke softly, "I don't trust him and he gives me the chills because of what he has done in the past, but I learned my lesson and I will not be listening to him again. If I am bothered by something, I will talk to you and actually listen to you instead of letting my fears get the better of me."

"Good because if you even think about leaving me again, I might have to get desperate and lock you in a room never letting you out," Kyoya stated quite earnestly.

Blinking and shooting him an apprehensive look, Haruhi said, "I know you are joking, but you look so serious."

"Who says I was joking?" Kyoya watched her eyes widen a little and he could tell she was trying to decide if he was really teasing her or not. Having mercy on her, he started to laugh. Her face went from confused and a little scared to embarrassed to irritated; and he thought it was all lovely.

"Damn rich bastard," Haruhi mumbled as she crossed her arms over her chest and sat back further on the couch.

Kyoya laughed and when he calmed down he grabbed her and pulled her to sit across his lap. Leaning down he whispered in her ear, "Just know that next time, I will not let you go. I will do anything and everything I can to keep you at my side." He didn't give her a chance to respond because in the next moment, his lips covered her and he kissed her.

Haruhi couldn't think when Kyoya kissed her that way. Her toes curled and she forgot to breathe. Wanting to get closer, her arms snaked their way around his neck and held tight trying to pull him into her instead of just above her. Disappointment rushed through her when he finally pulled away breathing heavily, of course she had the same problem. "When you put it that way, I don't think I will ever leave your side, or be able to leave you alone for that matter," she declared breathlessly with a gleam in her eye and a smile on her lips.

"That is good to hear," Kyoya smirked and leaned down to kiss her again, but before he could reach her lips, his advancement was momentarily disrupted by a yawn coming from the girl in his arms. "I think someone is tired. Why don't you go up to the bed and lie down?"

Another yawn escaped before she responded, "Aren't you going to take a nap also?"

"I will in a few minutes. I need to check a couple of things and talk to my father for a second before I lay down. Give me 30 minutes and I will join you."

"Are you sure? What do you need to talk to your father about?"

Chuckling, Kyoya gave her a quick kiss and pulled back, "I promise. You go head and go to sleep and I will be there soon. As for my father, I want to ask him about Akito." He helped her to stand and then gave her a little push to the stairs that led to his bed.

"Fine then. Just be careful," Haruhi muttered as she started to climb the stairs.

When Kyoya was sure she was up the stairs and in bed, he walked out of his room and made a beeline for his father's office. Knocking, he opened the door and walked in when his father said "enter". He approached the desk where his father sat and bowed, "Good morning father."

Looking up to see his third son in his office, Yoshio was sure he knew why Kyoya was there, "Good morning Kyoya. To what do I owe the pleasure of seeing you this morning?"

"Haruhi and I ran into Akito this morning," Kyoya stated simply.

"Yes, although there are a few things that still need to be done in Alaska, he can handle them remotely. I decided he had served enough time there. Did he do something this morning?"

"No sir."

"Akito knows what his place is and he knows not to do anything that will harm your relationship with Miss Fujioka. If he does, I will not be so forgiving. Is that all?"

Kyoya wanted to know what his father meant by all of that and what the patriarch said to Akito that would make him so sure that the second son would not do anything, but Kyoya knew it was not his place to ask. "No sir. I also wanted to be sure you found our final guest list on your desk this morning. I put it there last night. I don't believe anyone else needs to be invited except for the people that you want to include from our list of business associates."

"I did find the list and I will peruse it later. Thank you for getting it to me so quickly. I will see you and Miss Fujioka at dinner tonight."

Taking his father's words to mean that he was dismissed, Kyoya bowed and exited the office. As he approached his bedroom door again, he paused. He felt like someone was watching him. Looking around, he saw no one and shook his head as he walked into his living quarters again. After he checked a few emails and stocks, he walked up to the bed and found Haruhi sleeping soundly. Carefully sliding into the bed himself, he joined her in dream land.

Akito left his hiding place in the hall after Kyoya entered his bedroom and shook his head. He should have known that if anyone would be aware of his presence it would be his little brother. He just didn't understand why Kyoya was so caught up on a mere commoner or why his father would approve of a marriage with her. She did not provide a business connection or money. She was plain and had nothing to lay claim to. It was true she had dreams of becoming a lawyer, but there were so many lawyers out there today, you could probably throw a rock and hit one. So what made her so special? He thought he was doing the family a favor all those months ago, but in the end, he had been banished to the wastelands of Alaska. She was a commoner and yet, she was held in higher regards than he was at the moment; and he was the second son of Yoshio Ootori.


	10. Keep Your Guard Up

**A/N: Akito has announced his presence and seems to be out to get Haruhi and Kyoya. Will he actually get revenge though or will something else happen? Enjoy the chapter!**

Chapter 10 – Keep Your Guard Up

Kyoya snuggled into the warmth that he found in the bed with him and breathed in Haruhi's scent. Something pulled him out of the deep sleep he had been experiencing, but since he couldn't fathom what he was, he pulled his fiancé tighter to him and started to drift off again.

Five minutes later, Kyoya was sitting up in bed and groaning. It was his cell phone that was the cause of his current state of wakefulness. Grabbing the phone, he almost through it but decided he needed to remain cool and at least see who was interrupting his slumber. "Tamaki, that asshole!" Kyoya growled as he sent the call to voice mail.

"Who was that?" Haruhi mumbled as she opened her eyes and looked sleepily up at Kyoya.

"We spend all morning with Tamaki and then he decides he needs to call and harass us," he answered harshly not intending to take it out on her.

Haruhi giggled not taking offense to his tone of voice, "You know how he is." No sooner were the words out of her mouth than the phone started to ring yet again, "Let me guess… Tamaki?"

"Yes. Why does he have to call when we just got rid of him?" Kyoya asked as he flung himself back on his pillows.

"I don't know, but I do know that if you don't answer that phone he will keep calling. He is a persistent imp when he wants to be," Haruhi chuckled as she yawned and laid her head down on Kyoya's chest.

Sighing, Kyoya hit the talk button. He may not like it, but Haruhi was right. Tamaki would keep calling. "Is someone dying Tamaki?" He asked directly when he answered the phone.

"Kyoya? Well no, no one is dying," Tamaki answered hesitantly.

"Is someone in the hospital or sick?" Kyoya fired off his next question.

Tamaki paused knowing he pissed off his best friend, "N-no. No one is sick or in the hospital."

Pinching the bridge of his nose, Kyoya continued, "Has there been a bad business deal? Someone been turned out on the streets? Someone missing or kidnapped? Anything like that at all?"

"Well, no mommy," Tamaki squeaked worried that he was in for it now. _"Maybe I should have called Haruhi instead," _he thought belatedly.

"THEN WHY THE HELL ARE YOU CALLING US AND WAKING US UP YET AGAIN?" Kyoya yelled.

Nervous, scared, terrified, fearful for his life, anxious, and contrite were all words that could describe the Host Club king at this moment in his short lived life. He wondered if this was the end and thought, _"I have so much more I want to see and do before I die!"_ Taking a deep breath, it was time to take the plunge, he had already made the call, "Well the twins and I were talking after we dropped you and Haruhi off, and we wanted your permission to have an engagement party for both of you or a coming out party for Haruhi."

"The release of Haruhi's gender won't happen for another two weeks, but you are already calling me about this? This could not wait until tomorrow?" Kyoya barked sharply.

Haruhi sensing the danger her friends were in sat up and quickly grabbed the phone from her fiancé and took over the conversation giving Kyoya time to get his dark aura under control once again, "Tamaki, this better be good."

"Haruhi? How did you get to the phone so fast? Did Kyoya wake you up with his shouting? I am so sorry, Daddy didn't mean for mommy to wake you up," Tamaki spoke hurriedly.

"What are you talking about? Your stupid repeated phone calls woke me up!" Haruhi grumbled already getting irritated.

Tamaki was confused and asked, "How did my calls wake you up if you were…" Silence descended on the phone. It finally hit him that Kyoya and Haruhi were sleeping together in the same room, possibly the same bed. "WAH! WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU ARE DOING IN THE SAME ROOM AS HIM? YOU ARE TOO YOUNG TO BE SLEEPING TOGETHER AND YOU ARE NOT EVEN MARRIED YET! YOU ARE SUPPOSED TO SAVE YOUR VIRTUE FOR YOUR WEDDING NIGHT! WHAT DO YOU HAVE TO SAY FOR YOURSELF YOUNG LADY?"

Haruhi had to pull the phone away from her ear or run the risk of losing partial hearing. Glancing at Kyoya, she could tell he overheard Tamaki's ear piercing roar and was not happy about the words flying through the phone. Taking in a deep breath, she decided she was not going to back down, "YOU ARE NOT MY FATHER! Who do you think you are to make assumptions like that? For your information, we were tired and took a nap. Nothing else has happened, and if it did, it would not be your fucking business. So back off. Now if you do not tell me what you need right now, I will hang up this phone and block your number!"

"Gah!" Tamaki cried out, "Daughter is so mean to me. I am only trying to protect your innocence like a good father should."

It was Haruhi's turn to pinch the bridge of her nose, "You have five seconds and it is starting now! Five…"

Knowing he crossed the line, Tamaki rushed on with his explanation, "The twins and I talked and we wanted permission to give you a Host Club engagement party or to give you a coming out ball."

Swinging her head around to face Kyoya, her mouth opened and closed like a fish with no sound coming out of it. When she was finally able to form a coherent word, Haruhi asked Kyoya, "Did he tell you want he wanted?"

"Yes, and that is when I was informing him of the date of our engagement party," Kyoya smirked enjoying the how he was getting. This really was quite entertaining.

"Haruhi? Haruhi are you still there? Is mommy doing something to you? Do I need to come over and keep you safe?" Tamaki probed ready to leap out of the house and fly to Kyoya's in order to make sure his daughter was alright.

"Do not step one foot near this mansion. I think you have done enough for today. This topic could have been shelved until tomorrow since you would not even be able to do anything for a minimum of two weeks. I will discuss it with Kyoya and then we will all meet tomorrow. If you call one more time and it isn't an emergency, you will pay the consequences," Haruhi sneered. It appeared the Shadow King was rubbing off on her.

Yelping, Tamaki said, "O-ok. We will just talk to you two tomorrow after school then." He didn't wait for a response before he hung up the phone trying to make sure he did not provoke either one of his friends further. He really would like to live a long and full life instead of a short one.

The sound of rumbling at her side caught Haruhi's attention, "Is something funny?"

"I just don't think I have ever seen you handle him quite like that before. I was a pleasure to witness it. I think I might have some influence on you after all," Kyoya stated snidely.

Lifting an eyebrow, she mockingly said, "You know I could go home and skip this family dinner tonight. I could also force you to deal with Tamaki and the twins on your own tomorrow."

"You could, but you won't."

"I won't?"

Shaking his head, Kyoya flashed her a genuine smile and pulled her close to him, "No, you won't. Do you want to know why?"

Haruhi's breath caught and she had a hard time concentrating on the words that were coming out of his mouth. Forcing herself to concentrate, she whispered, "Why is that?"

"Because you love me and you wouldn't subject anyone you love to that kind of torture," he smirked right before he captured her lips for a kiss. Flipping her over onto her back, he continued his assault pulling back only briefly to ask, "Would you?"

"I think you hold a valid argument," Haruhi smiled before Kyoya's lips descended on hers again.

The couple would have continued to kiss and make out if a beeping noise had not interrupted them. Kyoya looked around at what could possibly be making the racket when he realized it was his alarm clock. It was set to go off so that they would have enough time to get ready for dinner. Groaning, he dropped his head into the crook of Haruhi's neck, "First that moron and now the damn alarm."

"Well at least we were awake for it and you didn't throw it this time."

"I suppose you are right," Kyoya sighed and sat up reaching for his alarm in order to shut the stupid thing off.

Giggling, Haruhi kissed him on his cheek and declared, "It could have been worse. Tamaki could have shown up or called after the alarm and made us late to dinner."

"Thank God for small miracles," he grumbled with a thick layer of sarcasm.

Still laughing, Haruhi got out of the bed and shot over her shoulder, "I am going to go get ready for dinner. You can either play on the computer or go back to sleep and I will wake you up when I am done."

"Sounds good," Kyoya said standing up and heading downstairs to grab his laptop.

Both teens were ready for dinner with time to spare. Instead of heading down early, Kyoya pulled Haruhi to sit down on the couch next to him, "Let's talk for a minute."

"Ok, about what?" Haruhi inquired a bit nervously.

"My brother. I talked to my father and it appears that Akito was for the most part productive in Alaska and most of the remaining work can be done remotely. My brother has been warned to leave us alone though and knows what will happen if he disobeys. However, that being said, if he tries to talk to you or manipulate you in any way, I need to you tell me as soon as possible. I don't trust him and I know he wasn't happy about being punished. I am not sure how he feels about you and your family status, so that could cause him to act irrationally."

Haruhi nodded absorbing everything that Kyoya was telling her. She knew it was true, but after what happened to him, did Kyoya really think he would try anything? Deciding it was best to stay on guard and not give the second son the opportunity, she agreed with her fiancé, "Ok. If says or does anything I will come to you, and I promise not to let him get to me this time."

Smiling, Kyoya brushed her bangs out of her eyes and spoke softly, "Good because I was serious about locking you up."

"For some reason, I think I actually believe you," she murmured before she leaned over and gave him a sweet kiss.

When they broke it off, Kyoya looked down at his watch and said, "Well, if that is all then, I guess we should be heading downstairs." He helped Haruhi to her feet and could feel her slight tremble. Pulling her into his arms for a hug, he whispered in her ear, "Don't worry. I will not leave your side and I will always be here."

Sighing, Haruhi whispered back, "I know. I just don't feel comfortable around him."

"He can't touch us as long as we stick together."

"You're right. Let's go down before we are late."

Linking his arm with her, Kyoya escorted her down to dinner. Neither of them was looking forward to seeing Akito after their little run in with him earlier, but they were also not going to cower before him. They held all of the power and they would not let Akito have the satisfaction of separating them ever again.

Dinner proved to be uneventful. Akito was on his best behavior in front of his father and Yuuichi. It was apparent that the eldest son had a little talk with the second son before dinner based on the looks they were shooting each other. The couple found themselves relaxing around the rest of the family and enjoyed the little gathering.

Once dinner was concluded, Kyoya and Haruhi excused themselves so that she could get home. When they were safely in the car and away from the rest of the Ootori family, Haruhi let out a theatrical breath and leaned her head against Kyoya's shoulder, "Well that went better than I thought. Maybe we were worried for nothing."

Pushing his glasses up, Kyoya stated, "I still don't trust him. Make sure you keep your guard up around him. Alright?"

"Yes, sir!" Haruhi saluted him.

Kyoya rolled his eyes, "You know, I think you are the only one that could get away with that. Even Tamaki knows better than to mock me like that."

"I would like to think I have special privileges afforded to me since I am the fiancée," Haruhi snickered.

"Maybe you do."

"Ok, speaking of your ever loving, over bearing, baka of a best friend…"

"He is your friend also."

"Be that as it may, what are we going to do about his request?"

"I say we do it."

"What?"

"Once word gets out, it is going to spread around the school. Some people will be offended that you did not tell them yourself. If we have the party, we can announce it to everyone and that way you are absolved of your deception, so to speak. We can also tell them your reasoning and get rid of any gossip surrounding that. Finally, we will announce our engagement to the student body. It will also show that you are supported by the host club."

"This sounds like you are leaning more towards the ball instead of the Host Club party."

"Well it will still be sponsored by the host club, but yes, I am."

"You want to announce it to everyone to stake your claim, don't you?"

"Maybe a little bit, but do you blame me?"

Chuckling, Haruhi kissed Kyoya on his cheek, "Not at all. Just make sure that I don't have to make a trip to your university with a blow horn for the girls to stay away."

Kyoya laughed a full deep laugh, "I will do that, although that might be interesting to see."

"Yah, yah, yah. Just remember you are mine," Haruhi smirked.

"I think I can remember that one," Kyoya stated as he leaned down and gave her a small kiss, "I love you."

"I love you too," Haruhi responded and laid her head back down on his shoulder.

The rest of the car ride was spent chatting about the party idea and when they should do it. They also decided to make Tamaki and the twins stew for a bit the following day for disturbing what was supposed to be a quiet Sunday. It was just going to be a little payback, but it would be fun.


	11. I Regret to Inform You

**A/N: Thank you for all of the reviews and support everyone. I know that this one would not normally be updated for a couple of days, but I really felt the need to work on a Kyoya story. I am sure you don't mind. XD Enjoy the chapter! Please review if you can!**

Chapter 11 – I Regret to Inform You

Monday morning arrived with a flourish and Kyoya decided due to the unfortunate interruption of the other hosts the day prior, he was going to pick Haruhi up for school and talk about a little plan that he had come up with the night before. It was nothing that would hurt anyone, but it would mess with their friends' minds a bit and that could be fun. Arriving at her apartment, he knocked on the door and gave her a genuine smile when she answered the door.

"What are you doing here Kyoya?" Haruhi asked surprised to see him.

Walking into the small abode, he took off his shoes and then straightened up before answering her, "I thought we could ride to school together and I wanted to talk to you about something."

Haruhi quirked an eyebrow at him and moved towards the kitchen counter so that she could finish making her bento mumbling, "Do you want some tea?"

"No, I am fine, but I would like a kiss. Are you ok this morning?" Kyoya inquired when he realized she seemed to be in a slightly bad mood. Walking up to her, he wrapped her in his arms and held her close.

"Yah, just tired," she replied snuggling into his chest and breathing deep.

"What happened? I thought you were going to sleep when I dropped you off last night."

"I would have too, but Tamaki decided to call me when I was lying down, and when he finally got off of the phone, the twins decided to call me. Needless to say, I am a little tired today."

"Well then, I have something that will help you pay them back for disturbing your sleep and our day."

"Whatever it is, I am in." She could hear and feel vibrations reverberated throughout Kyoya's chest as he started to chuckle at her quick agreement without hearing the plan.

Kissing the top of her head, Kyoya gave her a small squeeze before saying, "Well then let me tell you what I have planned…"

Forty minutes later Kyoya's limo was pulling up to Ouran and the Shadow King stepped out of the back seat very much alone. Tamaki and the twins were already waiting for his arrival and pounced on him as soon as the car door was shut and his car was once again driving away. Looking around briefly, he spotted Haruhi walking through the courtyard looking peeved and he pushed up his glasses. It was show time.

"Mommy? Why does our daughter keep looking at you with the evil eye?" Tamaki asked nervously.

Kyoya made a show of looking towards the girl and shrugging, "It is of no consequence to me what she does or does not do. I have more important things to think about." He knew he had them with the sharp intake of breath all three of them just had.

"What happened?" Kaoru inquired.

"You were fine yesterday!" Hikaru declared.

Pushing up his glasses once more, he said simply, "It turns out that she doesn't understand that sometimes people have to work and I have been thinking that maybe there is something more. You three opened our eyes yesterday that maybe we weren't meant to be together. When we thought about the party and the ball and everything, we both wanted two different things. Honestly, we would have never known if you three hadn't interfered so much yesterday. I guess I should really thank you."

"Please tell me that you didn't break up!" Tamaki begged crying.

"We haven't broken up yet, but we will see," Kyoya said. He didn't like pretending to be on the outs with Haruhi, but he also didn't like being woken up as early as he was the day before. "I am going to go ahead and go to class. I will see you three later," Kyoya stated before making his way into the school building.

Hikaru, Kaoru, and Tamaki looked like they had eaten some bad fish and were physically sick. Could they have really contributed to the current downfall of the Shadow Couple? Waiting for Haruhi to approach, all of them were determined to right this terrible injustice.

As soon as Haruhi was close enough, Tamaki broke away from the twins and ran to her, swinging her up into his arms, "I am so sorry Haruhi! What can we do to make this better?"

"What are you talking about senpai?" Haruhi played dumb.

_"She doesn't even know that she and Kyoya are about to break-up," _he thought. Tears streaming down his face like two waterfalls, he gently put her down on the ground and fell to his knees, "I am so sorry Haruhi. If daddy would have known that taking you out yesterday would have caused so many problems, we would have left you and mommy alone."

Haruhi had to fight the giggles that were trying to escape, "What do you mean?" Tamaki was now on his hands and knees and babbling incoherently so that she couldn't understand a word he said. Looking up she sought out the twins faces, her expression asking them what was going on.

"What he is trying to tell you is that we didn't know that we were causing problems for you and Kyoya-senpai," Kaoru felt pity for his friend.

Hikaru added, "We didn't know that things would be messed up and that you would break up over everything."

"Yah, he didn't like everything that happened yesterday, and then when he found out that I wasn't talking to him last night because you three called me, he kind of blew up," Haruhi replied and managed to keep a straight face. She was proud of herself.

"WAH?! Daddy will never call you again if you and mommy will just make up!" Tamaki wailed grabbing her pant leg in desperation. He was pleading with her to make things right with Kyoya.

"Well I will see what I can do, but I can't promise anything. If he wants to break-up I am not going to stop him. His family is too stuffy for me anyway," Haruhi supplied bluntly without much inflection in her voice as she tried to kick Tamaki off of her. "Now if you will excuse me, I have to get to class and study for our morning quiz."

The trio watched her walk away and Hikaru was the first to speak, "It is like she doesn't even care."

Tamaki recovered and stood up, "She has to care! She is just burying it deep inside so that we don't see her pain. My little girl is hurting and so is mommy. What are we going to do men?"

"Didn't interfering get them into this mess?" The twins asked together.

"We did this and we have to fix it. You two work on Haruhi and I will work on Kyoya!" Tamaki declared, "We will get them back together if it is the last thing we do!"

Looking at each other and resigning themselves to their fates, they turned back towards Tamaki, "Fine, we will do what we can."

Haruhi got to class and immediately pulled out her cell phone and sent a text to her co-conspirator, **_"They took the bait. Love you."_**She received a response almost immediately, **_"I knew they would. Love you too."_** A few minutes later Haruhi felt two arms snake around her shoulders and knew immediately who it was.

"Hey Haruhi, you don't seem really upset that you and Kyoya-senpai are fighting," Hikaru commented.

"Why should I be? He is pigheaded and overbearing sometimes. If he wants to get a little pissy that I called his family snobs and didn't agree with the party planning ideas, then that is his problem," Haruhi responded and went back to her studying.

Hikaru and Kaoru glanced at each other over the top of her head and looked a little more worried. Clearing his throat, Kaoru spoke softly, almost coaxingly, "You don't mean that. You and Kyoya-senpai love each other. You were miserable without each other and now that you are back together, you never want to be apart."

Shrugging, Haruhi thought about it for a minute before stating, "He has changed since the engagement."

"It is probably just stress!" The twins whined.

"I don't care. He either changes his ways or I could care less what happens to our relationship," Haruhi said simply.

The twins were about to try to convince her some more, but more students were filing in and they couldn't exactly talk to Haruhi about a relationship with Kyoya when others were around. The conversation would have to be tabled for now, but it was far from done.

Tamaki wasn't having any better luck with Kyoya. Every time he tried to use reason with the Shadow King, he was refuted. Nothing worked and by the time class started, Tamaki was going into panic mode. There was no hope for it; the Host Club would be closed today so that they could help Kyoya and Haruhi work through their problems. It would do no good to have customers around tension like that.

As the day wore on, Haruhi and Kyoya were finding it harder and harder to contain their amusement of the situation. Tamaki and the twins were doing what they could to convince Haruhi and Kyoya to talk and give it another chance, but Haruhi and Kyoya kept denying their wishes. It was almost to the point of hilarious.

When it was time for Host Club, Haruhi made her way to the club room, hoping to find Kyoya alone for a few minutes. What she did not expect was to find a sign on the door that said the Host Club was cancelled today. Rolling her eyes, she knew that Tamaki was freaking out and taking things a bit too far. She walked into club room to find the blonde pacing, Kyoya typing on his laptop, and the twins were nowhere to be seen. They had been detained by a teacher briefly for disrupting class.

Hearing the door open and close, Tamaki's head popped up and when his eyes spotted Haruhi, he ran to her and glomped her. Squeezing her tight, he cried, "I am so sorry my daughter. I tried to get mommy to move past this, but he is being stubborn. Forgive me for what happened. I just want you and Kyoya to make up and be happy again!"

Haruhi felt light headed and unable to breathe, "Let me go Tamaki-senpai!" He didn't listen to her and she was starting to see spots. She knew that they were acting like they were fighting, but she needed a rescue now. Reaching out a hand to Kyoya, she knew he saw it and the fact that she was struggling, turning blue in the process.

Kyoya had looked up and witnessed Tamaki's daddy act, but it seemed that he was crushing Haruhi with a bit more force than usual. When he saw her reach out to him, he knew she was in trouble and needed help. Making his way quickly over to Haruhi, Kyoya pulled her free from Tamaki's grasp and set her beside him. He listened as she sucked in air trying to regain the use of her lungs, "Are you alright?" He saw her nod, but somehow he was still not reassured until he saw her small smile.

"Mori-sen… Kyoya?" Tamaki was stunned. He fully expected to see the tall stoic host rescuing Haruhi instead of his best friend. Stars in his eyes, he exclaimed, "See! I knew you still loved each other!" He started to jump around yelling about how he broke through to both of them.

Kyoya wasn't taking the chance that Tamaki could grab Haruhi again, so he stood in front of her as the Host Club King bounced around the room merrily. Casually glancing behind him, he saw Haruhi roll her eyes and mouth the word "baka".

Hearing the commotion coming from inside the room, Hikaru and Kaoru opened the door to music room three. They saw Kyoya standing in front of Haruhi, while Tamaki ran about the room screaming like a lunatic. They weren't sure what happened, but something happened to make their president act like that.

Noticing that Hikaru and Kaoru had finally joined them, Kyoya pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose and shouted, "Tamaki shut up and sit down!" His best friend immediately stopped his tirade and sat on the closest chair to where he was. Kyoya turned towards the twins, "You two need to sit down as well." When the twins were seated on one of the couches in the sitting area, he grabbed Haruhi's hand and pulled her over to the other couch and heard Tamaki whisper to the twins, "I did that." Shaking his head, he emphatically stated, "No, you didn't."

"But mommy, you rescued her and realized that you still loved her," Tamaki whined.

"I did no such thing because I always knew I loved her. We weren't really fighting you idiot," Kyoya sneered.

The trio looked confused and wide eyes turned towards the couple, "What do you mean?"

"What he means is that you three interrupted our day and then had the audacity to call me last night and cut into my sleep time just to try to convince me to talk to Kyoya about the party and the ball. We told you that we would discuss it today, but you just don't listen. So we decided to play a joke on you," Haruhi grumbled.

"So you weren't really fighting?" Tamaki questioned the couple.

"No you moron!" Kyoya was a little irritated with Tamaki right now, and really who could blame him.

"We just wanted to mess with you a little bit and I have to say watching all of you freaking out, was kind of funny," Haruhi giggled.

"You played us?" The twins inquired simultaneously.

"Well, yah," Haruhi said bluntly before laughing.

Groaning and falling back into the couch, Hikaru and Kaoru looked exhausted and defeated. Tamaki looked confused still and couldn't understand what was going on, "So you weren't fighting and you were messing with us?"

"That is correct Tamaki," Kyoya smirked.

"But why mommy?!" Tamaki yelled.

"Because we are tired of you making decisions for us and trying to plan things without asking," Haruhi snapped.

Tamaki was surprised that Haruhi would talk to him that way. He was also stunned that Kyoya and Haruhi had completely played them. Yelping, he cried out, "I'm sorry Haruhi!"

Rolling her eyes once again, Haruhi muttered, "Whatever."

"Does this mean that the party or ball is not going to happen?" Kaoru asked.

"No, as a matter of fact we will have a ball and let Haruhi officially come out as a girl. I recommend having it the Friday before the engagement party. Tamaki, you reserve the salon. Hikaru and Kaoru, Haruhi will need a dress for both parties," Kyoya ordered.

"Got it!" All three teens agreed.

Kyoya turned towards Haruhi when he heard her groan, "You knew this was coming."

"I know, I know. Can we just make it a simple dress though?" Haruhi whined. She hated when it was overly girly.

Mischievous smiles in place, the twins spoke in an identical sing song voice, "No promises."

Haruhi knew suddenly that she was in trouble. She had two weeks to prepare herself mentally for whatever the twins were going to conjure up for the parties and she wondered if there was a way around it. Gazing up at Kyoya, she knew there wasn't, "Fine."

"Now the next thing on the agenda, Haruhi and I will be telling the customers this Friday about her real gender," Kyoya was trying to hold in the laughter as he watched Haruhi mentally slapping herself for getting involved with them in the first place. He could choke down the laughter, but it was still apparent in his eyes.

"How are we going to tell them?" Haruhi groused as she scowled at him noticing the merriment sparkling in his eyes.

"I believe the best way would be to wait until about 30 minute before club ends. I will join you and we will tell them together," Kyoya answered.

"Sounds good I guess," Haruhi mumbled. She was a little apprehensive about telling the girls, but she knew it was right.

"Well since Tamaki closed the club without my knowledge and it is too late to rectify that mistake, I guess we can all go home early. Come on Haruhi, I will give you a ride home," Kyoya declared as he snapped his black book shut.

The rest of the week passed by in a blur and before Haruhi knew it, Friday had appeared seemingly out of nowhere. She was anxious and dreading club time all at the same time, but sooner rather than later, she was making her way towards music room three in order to face the music (yes, pun intended).

As Haruhi sat with her customers, knots were forming in her stomach and she started to sweat. Would these girls understand? Would they accept her? There were so many questions that were filtering through her brain; she was barely able to keep up with the conversation at hand. When she felt a hand on her shoulder, she looked up to find Kyoya looking at her worriedly as he took a seat next to her. Offering him a weak smile, she knew it was time to get this over with.

"I hope you don't mind, but I thought I would join you for this last part of hosting time," Kyoya smiled causing some of the girls to squeal.

"Not at all Kyoya-senpai," a couple of the girls replied breathlessly.

Leaning down and whispering in Haruhi's ear, he asked, "Are you alright?"

Haruhi responded by nodding. Taking a deep breath, she turned up her host smile and heard the girls yell "MOE" around her. Chuckling a bit to hide her nervousness, she spoke to the crowd surrounding them, "Actually Kyoya-senpai is joining me here so that we can tell you something."

"Really?" Momoka asked wondering what could be happening.

"Yes, we ask that you keep an open mind and anything that is said today stays between us for now," Kyoya stated.

"Of course," all of the girls agreed wanting in on this deep dark secret.

Exhaling slowly, Haruhi decided it as just best to be direct. Leaning forward, she noticed the others leaned towards her also, "First I want to apologize and say I had very good reasons to keep this from you and I want to tell you my story before I tell you the secret. When I first met the host club, I broke an 8 million yen vase. I didn't have the money to pay it off, so I worked it off by doing errands and such for the club and eventually becoming a host. I made a lot of good friends here and I count all of you among them, which is why I feel so guilty about keeping my secret for so long." Haruhi paused and she could tell that the girls were on the edge of their seats waiting to find out what the big mystery was, "I am a girl. I dressed like a guy because the hosts, well except Kyoya, thought I was a guy and gave me a boy's uniform. They eventually figured it out, but I was already hosting and wanted to be able to pay off the vase as soon as possible. Hosting was the only way to do that." Bowing her head to show her remorse, Haruhi said, "I am so sorry for not telling you the truth. If someone would have asked, I would have told the truth, but no one did. Everyone assumed I was a boy." Looking up through her bangs, she could see that all of her customers were shell shocked.

A small laugh started with one customer and soon all of them were giggling. Did they think this was a joke? Momoka looked around the group and then decided to clear the air, "Haruhi, some of us suspected as much, but we were never sure and therefore were a little leery of asking such a personal question. You were there to listen to us, and for some of us, you helped set us up with our boyfriends or gave us advice. We are ok with your secret."

"What?" It was Haruhi's turn to be shocked.

Another customer, Sakura spoke up, "I didn't have a clue, but it makes sense now. I can't say that I am 100% happy, but I understand and will keep your secret. Are you still going to be hosting?"

Haruhi looked up at Kyoya begging him with her eyes to answer that question. Pushing his glasses up, Kyoya stated, "If customers would still like to come here and request her, then yes, she will still be hosting." When the ladies started to chat amongst themselves about this new development, Kyoya leaned down and spoke softly to Haruhi, "It looks like your time with the club is not done."

"It would appear. I honestly thought that it would be a lot worse than this," Haruhi whispered back still skeptical that everything was truly fine with her customers.

The rest of club time was spent answering the questions Haruhi's customer posed, and when it came to a close, she was still in a daze. Was it really as easy as all of that? She wasn't under any delusions that the rest of the student body was going to be as easy, but at least she had a few more supporters. Maybe things weren't going to be so bad after all.


	12. Haruhi's Girlie Debut

**A/N: I was sitting here staring at a blank page for a bit and wondering how I wanted to handle the rest of the story. I know what I want to happen, but it is writing it out the best way possible that was stumping me. I think I figured it out though. Let me know what you think and enjoy the new chapter. **

Chapter 12 – Haruhi's Girlie Debut

"HARUHI! Do you want to come over to my place to get ready for the party on Friday? It will be fun and we can play games before we have to leave!" Renge batted her eyes hoping to convince her new girlfriend to do what other normal teenage girls did before a dance. It was a tradition as old as time, or at least Renge thought so; and with only three days before the event, she thought she better ask now before Haruhi made other plans.

Darting her eyes over to Kyoya, Haruhi knew he had to have heard the topic of conversation because let's face it: Renge wasn't exactly the meekest or the quietest creature on the planet. Her voice was about as subtle as Donald Trump's comb over; there is just no way to ignore it when it is right there. "Um, well I am supposed to be with the host club that night Renge," Haruhi tried to get out of the awkward request.

"I know that silly. I was just thinking that as my best friend, you and I could get ready together and then we will meet up with the boys here," the Host Club manager giggled.

Haruhi cast a glance at Kyoya one more time in a silent plea to deal with Renge and get her out of the current situation. He did nothing but watch from his table. "Renge, I am supposed to attend the ball with Kyoya, and I believe we are all staying after school to make sure everything is ready for the party. I am not going to have time to go to your house since I will be getting ready here with the others. Isn't that right Kyoya?" Haruhi narrowed her eyes on her fiancé.

Smirking, Kyoya finally stood up and walked over to the two girls, "Well, you could always get ready with Renge and then come back here. You don't need to stay and help with anything; we are more than capable handling all problems that arise." Leaning down and whispering in Haruhi's ear, "She may be over the top and a little much to deal with sometimes, but she is still an ally in your bid to release your gender. It won't hurt for you to get ready at her house and then come back to school."

"Fine. Renge it appears that I am being released from my Host Club duties on Friday, so we can go to your house after school. I still need to get back before the festivities start though. Ok?" Haruhi grumbled and swore that she would pay Kyoya back somehow in this lifetime.

Arms flew around the female host's neck and squeezed tight. "We are going to have so much fun! And don't worry Kyoya, she will look stunning for you," Renge squealed as she shot Kyoya a wink.

Kyoya knew Haruhi was not happy about having to get ready for her debut at Renge's house, but at this point it would be best to stay on the manager's good side. If that meant Haruhi needed to go over to Renge's house to get ready for the ball, then he would deal with any consequences his fiancée decided to dish out, "I am sure she will be in the most capable of hands." He watched as Renge eyes filled with hearts and she started to blush before she ran out the door to go home.

"I can't believe you are making me go over to her house before the ball," Haruhi mumbled as she watched the other girl run out of the room as giddy as a school girl.

Pulling her into his arms, he stated, "Look at it like this: it gives you girl bonding time, I don't have to deal with the twins making you up, and it will enhance the anticipation of seeing the finished product."

"You know this isn't over with, right?" Haruhi inquired as she wrapped her arms around his waist and leaned against him.

"I had a feeling that it wouldn't be, but you need her as well as the others," Kyoya whispered as he leaned down to kiss the top of her head.

"I know, but you know me and all that girlie stuff. I blanch when my dad makes me do it, and now you are putting me with someone who really is a girlie girl."

"I promise I will make this up to you."

"You better," Haruhi grumbled before breaking contact and moving off to finish cleaning the club room now that the club had closed its doors for the day. She may not like having to get all dolled up two nights in a row, but she knew it was necessary and she couldn't get out of it. Renge's house, or more specifically the girl's room, just gave her the creeps.

The rest of the week flew by and it was soon the day of the ball; a day that Haruhi was both anticipating and dreading at the same time. Finally the school would know her secret, but that could be both a blessing and a curse.

As the school day came to a close, Renge grabbed Haruhi before she could even tell anyone good bye and had her out of the door in the blink of an eye. To say that the blonde was excited to get ready for a major event such as this with her new bff was an understatement. Haruhi didn't know if she should be scared or irritated, and settled for a little bit of both. "Renge you have to stop yanking me around. I already said I would get ready at your house," Haruhi grumbled from her seat in the car.

"Oh I know Haruhi, but I didn't want you to get distracted by your true love. You see each other standing across the crowded room and then you feel the magnetic pull and automatically move towards each other," Renge sighed, "There would be no way I would get you out of there and back on time if you stopped to talk to Kyoya."

"Um, yah ok," Haruhi sweat dropped. She was sure Renge had been reading one too many shojo manga again. "Just remember that I have to be back before the party starts."

"I know, just trust me. I have everything taken care of. I even hired a team of stylists to get us both ready."

"WHAT?" Haruhi yelled. This confirmed it for her; it was going to be worse than letting the twins do her hair and make-up.

"What did I do? Think about it will you? This is the best idea! Your hair and make-up will be done to perfection to accentuate the dress Hikaru and Kaoru made for you. Kyoya will see you and immediately become breathless and fall at your feet," Renge explained her delusion out loud as she clasped her hands together in front of her chest as if she was praying.

Quirking an eyebrow, Haruhi groaned, "Renge, do you remember when we had the talk about who Kyoya is and isn't last year?"

"Well yah, why?"

"Kyoya doesn't fall at someone's feet like that."

"He will tonight!" Renge declared with her screech.

Haruhi gave up. When Renge got an idea in her mind, there was no getting through to her. She knew that there was no way the Shadow King of Ouran High School would fall at anyone's feet. The only time she had seen something even remotely resembling that is when he proposed on White Day.

True to her word, Renge had a team of people prepared to help both girls get ready for the ball. They were primped, prodded, and painted by a staff of six (three for each girl); and before long both of them were ready for the ball of the year: Haruhi's coming out ball. It would be the equivalent of a debutante ball and garner envious feelings from other girls tonight, at least Renge believed it would.

Haruhi had to give it to Renge, she had hired professionals. The make-up accented their features to perfection and was not overdone at all. Haruhi's short hair was styled and although typically made her look like a boy, tonight it was feminine as it was curled and one side pulled back with a diamond (she was sure they were real diamonds too) barrette. Renge's hair was done up in a stylish braid and curls. Needless to say, once both girls emerged with their dresses on, they were perfect and ready to make their way back to Ouran.

As they pulled up to the school, Haruhi wondered what Kyoya would think of her when he saw her tonight in her new dress with her makeup and hair done. The twins had outdone themselves on both dresses and she did not have a problem with either one of them. Tonight's dress was jade green and went down to her ankles. The top was strapless and was adorned with small jewels sewn into the bodice to add to the elegance and give it a little bling. The skirt had a slight flare and moved with her as she walked. On her feet she wore two inch heels that matched her dress perfectly, but still allowed her to walk comfortably and not kill her feet or herself.

Both girls stepped out of the limo and Haruhi started to walk towards the building so that she could make her way to music room three, but had to stop when Renge grabbed her arm, "What now?"

"You have to make an entrance. I will walk in front of you and then present you to the boys," Renge declared and used a tone of voice that did not allow Haruhi to argue at all.

Groaning, Haruhi grumbled, "Whatever. Let's just get this over with."

"Yay! I can't wait to see his face when he gets a look at you!" Renge clapped her hands excitedly. She was ready to reveal her masterpiece to the others of the host club and she wanted to be able to see each and everyone one of their expressions. Pulling Haruhi up the stairs she paused outside of the infamous double doors, "Ok, you wait here for a second. I am just going to make sure they are decent." Without waiting for a response, she slipped into the room and left Haruhi out in the hall.

"Why the hell didn't she just knock to see if they were decent or not?" Haruhi muttered under her breath shaking her head at the audacity of the other woman.

Sticking her head out of the door, Renge giggled, "Ok, their ready."

"I don't see why you barged in without knocking first if you were concerned with their decency," Haruhi snapped and crossed her arms in front of her chest. If anyone was going to see Kyoya indecent, it was going to be her and not someone who used to, and apparently still had a crush on him.

"Oh, don't worry Haruhi, I knew they were dressed. I just wanted to get them all together so that I could see their faces when you made your grand entrance," Renge whispered conspiratorially as she continued to giggle.

Haruhi couldn't help herself and face palmed. Shooing Renge out of her way, she walked into the room and stopped to gauge the reactions of Kyoya and the others. They were all looking at her with awe type expressions on their faces.

When Haruhi had walked in the room, Kyoya would not believe the vision the floated through the doors. She was exquisite. He told himself to breathe again because apparently he forgot how in those few moments when he caught sight of her. Walking towards her, he took her left hand in his and bowed kissing the back of the hand; ecstatic when he saw her engagement ring resting on her ring finger where it belonged, "You look stunning."

Blushing, Haruhi said, "Thank you Kyoya. You look handsome yourself." He did too in his tailored black suite with a vest and tie to match her dress.

"Kyoya, you were supposed to fall at her feet to show her how blown away you are!" Renge whined.

Kyoya straightened and rolled his eyes, "Why ever would I do that? I would rather admire her from this vantage point than down there crawling on my knees." He never broke eye contact with Haruhi.

"I told you Renge, Kyoya doesn't fall like that. The closest I have ever seen him fall at my feet is when he got down on one knee and proposed," Haruhi chuckled still red from the compliments and the intense look in Kyoya's eyes. Looking past him, she noticed the others were still lined up and hadn't said anything. Tamaki was bright red and had his hand covering his mouth. The twins were grinning and giving her thumbs up. Mori was smiling and gave her a small nod. Finally, Hunny was bouncing up and down and when he caught her eye, he ran up to her yelling, "KAWAII!"

"Well, I guess that his reaction is satisfactory then. I still think he should have fallen at your feet," Renge grumbled.

Shaking her head and laughing at the girl next to her, she hugged Hunny when he embraced her and noticed that the others were making their way over to her. Well everyone except Tamaki who seemed to be frozen in place. "Something wrong Tamaki?" Haruhi grinned admitting to herself that she kind of liked the reaction she got from everyone.

Tamaki was unable to hold it in any longer and charged Haruhi at full speed yelling, "OH MY GOD! MY DAUGHTER YOU LOOK BEAUTIFUL! COME GIVE DADDY SOME LOVEN!" He would have been able to glomp her too if it hadn't been for the fact that Mori grabbed him before he could get to her.

"Stop Tamaki," Mori ordered the younger man.

"But Mori-senpai, Haruhi was waiting for me to give her a hug. She called for me. Didn't you my daughter?" Tamaki declared looking towards the woman with hopeful eyes, noticing she now had one of Kyoya's arms wrapped around her waist.

"No, I can't say that I did. I asked you if something was wrong, I never called for you," Haruhi stated bluntly.

"You did, I know you did! I heard it with my heart!" Tamaki insisted.

"Senpai, I don't know what drugs you are on, or if you stopped taking anything you are supposed to be on, but I didn't call for you and only asked you a simple question," Haruhi retorted. Her gaze moving up to Kyoya's face, she smiled and asked, "Are you ready for this?"

Kissing the side of her head, he smiled warmly with all of the love he felt for her shining in his eyes, "I am not the one that is spilling all of her secrets, but to answer your question, yes I am. I am ready to be able to hold your hand or do whatever else boyfriends do with their girlfriends and fiancées at school." Sending her a wink, he gave her a small squeeze.

"We have to say Haruhi… you are looking pretty hot tonight!" Hikaru and Kaoru declared together.

"Thanks guys," Haruhi murmured a little embarrassed by all of the compliments.

Kyoya saw Renge standing there with stars in her eyes and he could only imagine what she was imagining in her head, which meant he wondered what she was going to be writing about in her next publication. Sighing, he complimented her work, "You did well Renge. Haruhi looks striking tonight."

"Naturally. Did you think I was going to let my best friend come to her debut ball looking drab? NO, SHE NEEDED TO LOOK THE PICTURE OF PERFECTION!" Renge excitedly yelled.

Adjusting his glasses, Kyoya shook his head a bit, "Well be that as it may, thank you."

"Oh you're welcome Kyoya," Renge gushed, "Well I will leave you all and go downstairs. Don't worry; I won't say anything until you present her to society!"

Haruhi and the others watched their club manager leave before Haruhi wondered aloud, "Sometimes I wonder if she is related to Tamaki."

Her comment had everyone laughing including Kyoya, well everyone except Tamaki, "I can't believe you said that! We are nothing alike! We don't bear any resemblance at all to each other!"

"I think she means your personality Tono," Hikaru laughed harder.

"We are nothing alike! She is overzealous, over eager, overly dramatic, butts into others' business, and doesn't think before she acts!" Tamaki tried to defend himself, but unfortunately it caused everyone to lose their composure yet again.

When he was able to regain his control, Kyoya looked down at his watch and murmured to the girl anchored to him, "We still have about fifteen minutes before we need to get in our opening positions, do you want a cup of tea?"

"That sounds nice," Haruhi nodded still tickled about what just happened.

After everyone finished their tea, Kyoya announced that it was time to start making their way to the ball room. He helped Haruhi to her feet and held her back a little while everyone else made their way to the exit, "I just want you to know that I will be by your side the whole night. If I am not there, one of the other hosts will be there, anyone except Tamaki. I think you would be squeezed into oblivion if I let him escort you. And one more thing, I love you."

"I love you too Kyoya," Haruhi beamed and gave him a brief kiss that left them both wanting more. Now was not the time though.

Everyone got into position along the platform under the balcony. Hunny and Mori were on one side of Tamaki and the twins were on the other. Kyoya would escort Haruhi onto the balcony so that she could make her entrance.

The spotlight lit up the platform and Tamaki started his speech, "Thank you everyone for attending our Host Club Ball. Tonight is a special night as we will be presenting to society Haruhi Fujioka. Escorting her tonight is Kyoya Ootori."

Murmurs and whispers rushed through the crowd at the mention of Haruhi and the word "her". They were confused since Haruhi was a host. He was a boy, wasn't he? Kyoya and Haruhi walked out onto the balcony and another spotlight hit them. The noise of the crowd grew. No one was quite sure what to make of this development. Were they just cosplaying?

Kyoya got the attention of the crowd and the clamor died down. Clearing his throat, he glanced down at Haruhi before gazing over the crowd that was gathered, "I would like to present Miss Haruhi Fujioka, my fiancée."

The commotion amongst their audience rose to a small roar in the room. No one was sure they heard him right. Did he really say fiancée?

Placing his hand over Haruhi's which was gripping his arm, Kyoya leaned down and whispered, "Your turn. I am right here."

"Hi everyone. As you can see, I am a girl. I joined the host club almost two years ago due to an unforeseen accident and it was either run errands or be a host. Unfortunately almost everyone in the club assumed I was a boy at first and thus I was given the male uniform," pausing in her discourse, she looked up at Kyoya and grinned, "But due to reasons and developments, I decided that going through the rest of my school career at Ouran as a boy is not an option." Turning her eyes back towards the see of people, she continued, "Thank you for coming out tonight. I am sorry if this has caused any of my friends any pain or confusion, but I hope we can move past all of this. Enjoy the evening; we at the Host Club officially welcome you!"

Kyoya could tell that Haruhi was nervous based on the death grip she had on his arm. If it wasn't for that, he would have believed that she was calm and collected. He knew it wasn't easy for her to reveal everything to the school, but she did great and if he had anything to say about it, no one would treat her any different. Escorting her down to the others, he kissed her cheek and asked, "May I have this dance princess?"

Forcing a smile, she felt better as soon as she made eye contact with him, "I would love to as long as my first dance is with you."

"Who else would it be with?" Kyoya smirked and pushed his glasses up. He could tell that Tamaki had been ready to ask her to dance with him when the blonde heard her comment. Shaking his head, Kyoya wondered if Tamaki would ever learn, but decided probably not and that was ok because that is one of the things that made Tamaki, Tamaki.

When they reached the dance floor, the first strains of a waltz were heard and soon Kyoya was twirling her around the dance floor. Haruhi felt herself relax in his embrace and soon the people that were surrounding them, disappeared into the background. It was only her and Kyoya.

The people in the crowd watched on as Kyoya danced with Haruhi and moved gracefully around the dance floor. The customers of Haruhi's that had known about the secret were happy and excited for their friend wondering why they hadn't seen it before: Haruhi and Kyoya looked so happy and in love. The others in the crowd had a mixture of emotions. Some of the girls were envious that she had caught the eye of Kyoya, others were shell shocked about the revelation that Haruhi was really a girl, and still others could tell that the couple was happy and they didn't have a problem with Haruhi pretending to be a boy in the past. The guys in the mob were stunned; they thought that she was beautiful and they realized that they lost their chance with wonderful girl (not that they really had one since they thought Haruhi was a boy), because attempting to steal her from Kyoya Ootori was signing their death warrant. There was a common thought throughout the mob as everyone watched Haruhi glow, _"Why didn't we notice she was a girl? She is so feminine looking right now."_

True to his word, Kyoya did not leave Haruhi's side during the night. The only times she was not with him is when she was dancing with one of the other hosts. Other men had tried to ask her for a dance, but one look from the Shadow King silenced them all. Girls tried to crowd her and get her by herself, but he refused to leave her alone with anyone that he did not personally trust with his life knowing that some of the girls were shooting daggers at the girl on his arm. No, Haruhi was too precious to leave her alone and hope that she would be safe without him.

The night finally came to an end and Tamaki announced the last dance of the night. Kyoya leaned down and asked, "May I have this final dance?"

Excusing herself from the crowd that had gathered around them, she jumped up from her seat and briskly stated, "Yes!" Although she didn't have a problem with anyone that had surrounded them over the course of the night, she was ready for a break and dancing with Kyoya would give her that and keep her in his arms for a few minutes away from everyone else in the room.

When the dance was over, the Host Club bid everyone a good evening and after all of their guests were gone, they meandered up to the third music room to reflect and enjoy some quiet time. It had been a good night, and Haruhi truly hoped that once everyone had time to absorb the news, they would still be accepting of her. She knew she threw the student body for a loop and for some of them, it would take some contemplation before they would once again accept her fully. Some may never be able to look at her the same again since she was a girl in a club with their dream guys. She wasn't crazy enough to think that everyone would be thrilled about her secret, but she hoped enough would be able to get over it; however, if they weren't, she was ok because she had her real friends.


	13. Akito, Party Planner?

**A/N: When I read the reviews of what everyone thought of her reveal, I felt relieved and happy. I really wasn't sure about it and was actually kind of nervous. THANK YOU! Ok, bad/good news depending on how you want to look at it… there is probably only 3-4 chapters left in this story. I already have ideas for my next story, so after this one is completed another story will be available for everyone to read. Enjoy the new chapter!**

Chapter 13 – Akito, Party Planner?

"Haruhi would you like a ride home?" Tamaki asked the female host as she watched Kyoya type on his laptop. Everyone was hanging out after the ball had ended and he could tell that the petite girl was getting sleepy.

"No thank you Tamaki-senpai. I am going home with Kyoya tonight since we have our engagement party tomorrow," Haruhi smiled sleepily.

"You're spending the night with him?" Tamaki inquired aghast.

Narrowing her eyes, Haruhi was irked, "Not like that! I am spending the night at his house though!"

Tamaki ran his hands through his hair and smiled, "Of course my dear. I should have known better than to think my little girl would allow mommy to take advantage of her."

"If Kyoya and I wanted to 'take advantage' of each other, you would have absolutely no say," Haruhi murmured under her breath knowing that Tamaki would not hear her.

Kyoya looked up when Tamaki and Haruhi started their little exchange, chuckling when he heard his fiancée's last comment as his gaze fell on her. She did indeed look like she was about to fall asleep, and instead of hanging around any longer, he started to shut down his computer so that he could get her to bed, "Thank you Tamaki, but I will take her home."

"Be careful with her mommy. She is a precious treasure," Tamaki gushed but did not try to rush to her side.

"You don't have to remind me. I already know. We will see all of you at the party tomorrow night," Kyoya smirked and placed his laptop in his bag. Standing up, he helped Haruhi to her feet and together they left the music room and made their way down to his limo.

When they arrived at the house, Kyoya escorted her up to his room. "You have a choice. You can sleep in a guest room, or you can sleep in my room with me; and don't worry, I won't take advantage of you tonight," he winked at her as he set his computer case down by his desk.

Blushing and rolling her eyes, she had not realized that anyone heard her comment, but if someone had to hear it, it was probably best that it was her fiancée. The thought of sleeping in a strange room, even if the bed was comfortable, held little appeal for her; so since he was offering, she decided to take Kyoya up on his deal. "Your room, but keep your hands to yourself. I don't feel like taking advantage, or being taken advantage of tonight," she laughed and shot him her own wink.

Kyoya pulled her into his arms and whispered, "Too tired tonight, but catch me another night."

"I will do that."

"Ok, why don't you use the bathroom first while I check some things on the computer?"

Haruhi knew that meant that Kyoya was going to be up for a bit longer and raised an eyebrow, "We still have another party to suffer through, I mean attend tonight, so you need to get some sleep."

Chuckling, Kyoya leaned down and kissed her before saying, "I won't be too long. I promise."

"Ok," Haruhi said and grabbed her bag before heading to the bathroom. She was in bed a few minutes later and was almost instantly asleep. She never felt Kyoya join her an hour later and pull her into his arms. She was dead to the world.

The last thing Haruhi wanted was to be woken up early in the morning by an incessant pounding on Kyoya's bedroom door, and she knew that Kyoya wasn't happy about it either considering the dark aura that was permeating the air. When he yelled, she jumped.

"Go away!" Kyoya bellowed trying to get rid of the nuisance at the door.

"Sorry Kyoya-sama, but your father is requesting your presence as well as Fujioka-san's," a maid quickly explained from the other side of the door. She knew better than to try to open it; Kyoya had exact aim when he was half asleep.

Sighing, Kyoya shouted, "We will be down in 30 minutes."

"Very good sir, I will inform your father," the maid said and hastily retreated.

Haruhi sat up and looked down that the man that was lying beside her and smiled, "Why don't I get ready first and you get a couple more minutes sleep or try and wake up." She leaned down and gave him a small kiss on his cheek before jumping up and starting her day.

When Haruhi was done with her morning routine, Kyoya got up to get ready to face the day. Why his father wanted to see him when it was only 9:30am, he didn't know. What he did know that it was too early to be up on a Saturday morning when he was exhausted from the night before.

After he was done getting ready, he laced his fingers with Haruhi's and they went to search out his father. They found him in his study with Akito. Keeping his face passive, Kyoya asked once they were bid entrance, "You wanted to see us father?"

"Yes, Kyoya, Haruhi. How did last night's ball go?" Yoshio inquired.

"It went well and the student population at Ouran now knows that Haruhi is a girl. She will start wearing the female uniform on Monday," Kyoya responded. It was something that they had discussed. At first they wondered if it would be ok to continue wearing the male uniform, but decided it was probably best that she switch after their big announcement.

"Excellent. Tonight won't be a complete shock for those of your fellow student body that will be attending," the patriarch announced.

"No sir," Kyoya answered.

Haruhi felt Akito's gaze on her and Kyoya and wondered why the middle son was studying them so intently. If he was trying to find a crack in the shell, he wasn't going to find it. She was not going to fall for his little mind games again.

Standing up, Yoshio stated, "I have to go to the hospital to attend to some business. I will be back in time for the party. Everything should be prepared and ready to go, but if there are problems the staff knows to call Akito. It is his job to insure everything goes smoothly tonight."

Well that explained why Akito was there, but the couple wondered if it wasn't better if they handled any issues that came up instead of the brother that broke them up. "Father, I am sure Haruhi and I…" Kyoya started but was unable to finish since his father was interrupting him.

Holding up his hand for silence, Yoshio said, "He will handle the problems and tonight will go off without a hitch. Isn't that right Akito?"

"Hai!" Akito agreed quickly. He couldn't believe that he was being forced to be a last minute party planner for his little brother and his commoner girlfriend, but he also did not want to anger his father yet again. Alaska was beautiful but barren, and if he could prevent himself from being shipped off again, he would.

"We will line up promptly at 6:30pm to start welcoming our guests since some will try to come early, so we need to be sure that we are ready to leave here at 5:30pm to make sure we get to the hotel early. Akito will arrive prior to that to make sure everything is prepared. The announcement will be made at nine to allow for latecomers to the party. Any questions?" Yoshio asked.

"No sir," the three other occupants said in unison.

Grabbing his briefcase, the patriarch said, "Good. I will be back in a few hours. Akito, this party must be a success."

"Hai, father!" Akito said and bowed as his father left the room.

Kyoya and Haruhi turned and looked at the middle son. Neither one of them really trusted him, but they really didn't have much choice in the matter in regards to the party. They just hoped that he had changed and learned his lesson, and if not… Kyoya would make sure he paid dearly for trying to run Haruhi away.

"Don't worry, everything is already done. I just have to oversee the last minute things. You just have to sit back and relax little brother, you and your commoner girlfriend," Akito sneered.

"I would be careful what you say about my **fiancée** brother. She will soon be an Ootori and regardless of what her station in life is currently, she has never been common," Kyoya glared back at him.

Squeezing the hand that she held, Haruhi gave her silent support to Kyoya and decided it was probably best if they just left the room as soon as possible, "Come on. Let's get some breakfast and then we can study for a little bit before the party."

Kyoya tore his eyes away from his brother and looked down at Haruhi, "Yes, let's."

"Already letting her be in charge, I should have known that it would be her that wore the pants in the family," Akito mocked.

Taking a step towards his brother, he was stopped by the grip that would not release his hand, "Akito, you would do well to remember what happened the last time you came between us."

"Who said anything about coming between you? I accept the relationship, although do not understand how it benefits our family. Father seems to think it does though, so I will not question it… too much," the middle son glared back.

Kyoya decided that it wasn't worth the effort to fight with his brother. The only other person whose opinion mattered in the relationship was Haruhi's. Theirs was a partnership based on mutual trust, love, and a genuine friendship. Most of his family could never understand that, would never experience it, but he had been lucky that he was able to encounter it and that his father let him pursue it.

Pulling Haruhi out of the study, they returned to his room and Kyoya picked up his phone to order breakfast for the both of them. When he hung up, he turned to her and explained, "Sorry, I just didn't feel like going downstairs."

Haruhi walked up to her fiancé and wrapped her arms around his waist as she laid her head on his chest, "It's ok. I know that he is going to be a handful. Let's just ignore him and enjoy us."

"You're right. Thank you," he sighed as he leaned down and kissed the top of her head.

Meanwhile in another part of the house, Akito was on the phone, "Is everything ready?"

"Hai," a voice came through the phone.

"Very good. This will be a complete surprise for the couple and one I am sure they will not forget," Akito stated before disconnecting the line. He didn't understand what his brother saw in her, but right now he had other concerns to deal with.


	14. Announcements and Surprises

**A/N: What does Akito have planned for our couple? And we may want to get Yoshio's head examined letting his middle son deal with the party. What was he thinking? LOL. Well, you will actually find out in this chapter, well about the surprise. When it comes to Yoshio, you just never know. LOL. Happy reading!**

Chapter 14 – Announcements and Surprises

As Haruhi had the last touches of make-up applied to her face by a stylist, she wondered if she would still look like her. Would Kyoya recognize her? Laughing off her thoughts, she stepped into her dress for the night and was finally able to look at her reflection in the mirror and was amazed. The make-up light and yet accentuated her features. It added a softness to her face; her hair was left without a wig and was curled and arranged so that it was utterly feminine.

The dress the twins designed was perfect. It was ivory and gold with a sweetheart neckline. The strapless bodice laced up the back like a corset and was fitted down to her waist where the material flowed down to the floor. The shoes had just enough of a heel that she wouldn't kill herself and allowed the dress to keep from dragging. The chiffon material clung to her curves and flowed giving her an ethereal presence. The dress itself was ivory with gold embroidery and embellishments from top to bottom. It was beautiful and Haruhi felt gorgeous and womanly in it.

A knock at the door signaled that it was time to go. One of the maids that had been helping Haruhi and the stylist prepare opened the door allowing the person on the other side the first glimpse of the beauty in the room.

When the door opened, the first thing Kyoya saw was Haruhi standing there in her dress with her hair and make-up done. She looked like a goddess in his eyes; she was utterly stunning and Kyoya was frozen momentarily by the picture she presented. When he saw the Haruhi start to fidget, the picture broke and he realized that he had been staring for a while. Walking up to her and giving her a small kiss on the cheek as he wrapped his arms around her waist, he whispered, "Sorry, you are exquisite Haruhi and I lost myself in the moment."

Haruhi beamed, "Thank you Kyoya. You look very handsome yourself." In all honesty, Haruhi was having a hard time keeping her eyes in her head. She had seen Kyoya dress up before, but tonight there was something different and she just wanted to stare and drool.

"Are you ready to go downstairs and meet up with my father and brother?" Kyoya watched as Haruhi's face fell at the mention of his brother, "Not Akito, Yuuichi."

Smirking, Haruhi nodded, "Yah. Is it bad that I wish the other one wasn't going to be there or at least not doing the finishing touches on our engagement party?"

"Honestly, I feel the same way. However, if he ruins tonight you can rest assured that my father will deal with him swiftly and severely. Let's just say, he is on his last leg. We just have to keep our wits about us and make sure we don't let him try to do anything to us."

"Keep our guards up around him?"

"Exactly. Now are you ready to go?"

Smiling and standing up on her tip toes to give him one last kiss, Haruhi whispered against his lips, "I love you."

"I love you too," Kyoya said before he took her lips in a gentle kiss that ended all too soon for either of them. Leaning his forehead against hers, he sighed, "Ready?"

"As long as I am with you, I am ready to go anywhere," Haruhi declared and took the arm he offered her after they broke apart.

As the couple descended the stairs, they saw Yoshio and Yuuichi waiting for them at the bottom. Both of the elder Ootori men looked awed by the couple, but Kyoya knew that it was Haruhi that held them captivated. Although they had seen her dress up before, she always had to wear a wig and wear her make-up just a little different so that she was in disguise. Tonight her natural beauty was shining through and Kyoya could not be more proud to have her on his arm for the rest of his life.

When they reached the end of the staircase, the two men that had been staring gave her a bow. "You look beautiful tonight Haruhi," Yoshio said as he straightened with what Haruhi thought was a smile on his face.

"Indeed she does father," Yuuichi agreed.

Blushing, Haruhi returned their bow, "Thank you Ootori-sama, Yuuichi-kun."

"Akito is already at the ball room. Shall we go?" Yoshio ordered as he turned and walked towards the front door with everyone following suit.

The limo pulled up to the hotel that would house the lavish engagement party, and the four occupants stepped out of the car amidst flashes from cameras. The press had found out about the engagement party and some of them had shown up early. Inwardly groaning, Haruhi plastered on her best host smile and clung to her fiancé as they made their way inside. Upon entering the ball room, everyone glanced around the room and knew that it was ready for tonight.

Akito was sitting at the bar nursing a small cocktail, but when he saw his father, he immediately left his seat and approached. "As you can see father, everything has been handled per your request," he declared as he gave his father a respectful bow. Straightening up, he looked beyond his father at his older and younger brother and was dumbfounded. _"That's Haruhi?"_ He screamed in his head. She looked so different.

"Excellent work Akito. I expect the rest of the night to go as planned as well," Yoshio gave his middle son a pointed look before walking off. He knew Akito had issues with Haruhi and the fact that she was a commoner, but he needed to get over it because she was going to be a part of this family. The patriarch of the family respected the girl immensely for many reasons: she got into Ouran on her own merits, she befriended his son and four other powerful families, she stood up to him and defended Kyoya, and she was working hard to accomplish her dream of becoming a lawyer. She may be a commoner by birth, but she was so much more than that on the inside. Akito would learn or he would face punishment.

"Thank you Akito for everything you have done," Kyoya begrudgingly stated.

Haruhi decided she needed to thank the middle child also and tried to sound polite, "Yes, Akito-kun, thank you for helping tonight."

Snapping out of his daze, Akito sneered, "So I guess if given the right clothes and help even a commoner can look like she belongs." He still had issues with her, but he would concede internally that he may have underestimated her when she replied to him.

"It isn't the clothes or the make-up that make someone who they are, it is what is on the inside and what you do with your life that will define if you truly are someone or no one at all," Haruhi retorted with a smile on her face before she pulled Kyoya away with her.

"How dare she?!" Akito fisted his hand. He would have taken off after the couple but was stopped by his older brother.

Yuuichi was highly amused and agreed with everything that Haruhi had said, "She dares because you started it. She is not just a mere commoner, and she is our little brother's fiancée. She has stood up to him and our father, do you really think she is afraid of you? She will not be bullied and you need to accept the fact that she will be our sister soon enough. Do not try to come between them again brother or you may be finding Alaska was a picnic in the park compared to what will happen next time. She is good for Kyoya and I dare say will be an asset to this family. Accept it and move on."

"What if I don't want to accept it?"

"Regardless of what you want or don't want, you will leave them alone. If you cannot accept her, that is fine. There are always people we don't like in our lives, but you will do nothing to jeopardize the relationship she has with Kyoya," Yuuichi ordered and moved away from Akito to give him a moment to think about what was said.

Akito hated being told what to do and how to do it. He hated the fact that someone that had prized their family and their station in life, in fact drilled it into his sons' heads, could change on a dime and declare a commoner fit for the Ootori family. Now he was just supposed to accept this slip of a girl with no questions asked? He had to admit that she had a backbone and it would be needed in this family, she was smart too, and if he had to judge she was also very pretty, but what about her background? So she made Kyoya happy, so she was going to become a lawyer, so she got into Ouran and was friends with powerful people… who cares about all of that? She is still a commoner, right? He would accept his father's decision because it was his father, but he wasn't sure he could accept her as easily as everyone else had, could he?

He was about to walk towards his father when a voice behind him stopped him. When Akito turned around he found a man wearing a Hitachiin original designer tux with long red hair tied back into a low ponytail. Upon closer inspection, the man seemed to be wearing mascara and lip gloss. Akito decided he had to be seeing things and shook his head before addressing the man, "I'm sorry, but the party doesn't start for another forty minutes."

"Oh I know that you dear boy! I'm Ryoji Fujioka, Haruhi's father. You can call me Ranka though," the red head gushed.

"Her father?" Akito asked shocked.

"Hey dad," Haruhi walked up to the two men standing near the doors. As soon as she saw her father enter the room, she knew she needed to hurry over before either of them said something which would result in a misunderstanding.

"So this is your father Haruhi? How nice to meet you sir, I am Akito," he bowed towards the older man.

Ranka had heard all about the exploits of the middle son and his involvement in the breakup between his wonderful daughter and Kyoya. He immediately disliked him. Leering at the younger man he said, "Yes, nice to meet you also Ootori-san." As soon as he could, he moved towards Yoshio and Kyoya choosing not to be around someone so vindictive.

"What sort of people will we let in next?" Akito murmured under his breath.

Haruhi was about to walk off and join her father, but she heard the statement and stopped, "You may have a privileged life Akito-kun, but you have nothing of real value in your life and you are nothing but a condescending snob." When she was done with her declaration, she walked off to join the others before it was time to welcome their guests. She had decided when she got back with Kyoya before Valentine's Day, she would not let Akito get inside her head any longer and she would fight back with everything she had. Feeling proud of herself for speaking her mind, she mentally patted herself on the back when she had reached Kyoya's side and laced her fingers with his.

As the guests started to arrive, everyone started to greet them and formed a receiving line near the doors. Although Haruhi knew what to expect, she was still a little nervous meeting everyone and knew after the first ten people, she would not remember anyone's names tonight. Glancing up at Kyoya, she smiled; it didn't matter as long as he was right next to her. He would help her and thanks to her host training, she was prepared for anything.

Once everyone had been greeted, Kyoya and Haruhi went in search of their friends. They had only been able to briefly talk to the other hosts when they had arrived, and now the couple was ready to mingle with them for a while. Pausing a moment to listen, the couple heard the hyper sounds of Tamaki's voice and decided to follow it like a homing beacon. As they got closer to the sound, it was apparent that all of the hosts were trying to keep him in line. Clearing his throat, Kyoya smirked, "You know Tamaki, if you wanted to make sure everyone heard you, I am sure I could have arranged for you to have a microphone."

Tamaki snapped his mouth shut and turned towards Kyoya, "Mon Ami! I am so happy for you and our little girl. Imagine mommy and daughter living happily ever after."

"Can it with the mother daughter talk tonight Tamaki!" Kyoya demanded.

"Yah, Tamaki-senpai, people wouldn't really understand why you are calling Kyoya my mother," Haruhi injected.

Straightening his spine, Tamaki ran his hand through his hair before beaming and kissing the back of Haruhi's hand, "Of course you are right. They are not privy to our little host family."

"Is everyone ready for dinner? We are all sitting at the same table with my family," Kyoya announced trying to get Tamaki to drop Haruhi's hand. Finally he leaned in close to his best friend and murmured, "Let go of Haruhi."

"EEEK! Sorry," Tamaki rushed to do as instructed to the amusement of the other hosts.

"It seems as if Tono has said the Shadow King can have her, but he isn't ready to let go," the twins teased.

Kyoya chuckled with the others and led the way to their table. It was an enjoyable meal if you could get past the teasing and the small comments Tamaki and the twins threw around, but they were easily ignored by most of the occupants at the table.

After dinner was served and the dancing began, Kyoya led Haruhi out onto the dance floor, "You are doing great tonight, but did my brother say anything to you earlier when you went to greet your father?"

"He was just being his normal charming self," she grumbled. Seeing the worried frown appear on his face, she giggled, "Don't worry; it isn't anything I can't handle. Did you forget so soon who you are marrying?"

Rolling his eyes, Kyoya gave her his best Shadow King smirk, "I could never forget anything about you. Shall I recite the dossier I have on you?"

"I think I am good without knowing, but your black book may prove to be interesting reading one night."

Kyoya leaned down and spoke softly in her ear, "One night if you find yourself bored enough, and I think you deserve it, I might actually let you read some of my notes."

Chuckling, Haruhi nodded, "Oh, I think I could convince you to let me read them one day." She sent him a wink as the dance came to an end. Kyoya was about to start dancing with her again, but someone cut in.

"May I have this dance little brother?" Akito inquired. Everything about him said that he was doing this for politeness sake and he would rather be anywhere else than dancing with a lowly commoner.

"Don't put yourself out Akito. I will continue to dance with my fiancée," Kyoya responded.

Haruhi knew that people were going to be looking sooner or later and decided to speak up, "Kyoya, I will do this one dance with him, but don't go too far."

Knowing she only did it for propriety's sake, Kyoya bowed and kissed the back of her hand, "I won't be too far if you need something."

"I know," Haruhi genuinely smiled before turning to Akito and switching on her host mode, "I am honored."

Akito pulled her into his arms and smirked, "You should be."

"You didn't have to dance with me just because society dictated you should. Grow a backbone why don't you?" Haruhi suggested.

"You really should get used to acting a new way now that this society will be yours too. Just think after you and Kyoya get married, you will hardly have time for each other. You grow apart and sooner or later Kyoya will do what most people do in our upper echelon, get a mistress."

"I think you underestimate your brother and me."

"Do I really?"

Haruhi couldn't help herself and stepped on his foot, "Oops, sorry. Yes, you do."

Akito gazed over her head and caught sight of Ranka talking with Yoshio, "And how will you handle it when people look down on you and my brother for your father and his cross dressing ways. You know I half expected to see him show up in a dress tonight. Did he not want to outshine the princess here?" If Akito had been paying attention, he would have noticed that Haruhi's aura had changed and it was turning darker the more he talked. In fact it was coming out of her and was pure black rivaling that of Kyoya. "I have to ask, are you out for my brother because of who he is and what he can give you? Did your father put you up to it? You should know that there is a chance that my brother will be nothing more than a third son."

The figurative straw that broke the camel's back had been hoisted and the third demon made her appearance. Growling, Haruhi spoke quietly and yet sharply, "Shut up! You don't know anything about anyone, least of all your brother. Unlike you he is actually worthy to become heir to the Ootori zaibatsu. You are nothing but a lackey that cannot act without asking his father how to do it. I am surprised you have an opinion about me and my father that goes against your father since you have proven time and time again that you just want to make daddy happy. Kyoya on the other hand wants to succeed and he will do anything he needs to in order to be successful. He can do it with or without the Ootori name. You are nothing but a disgusting slug that doesn't deserve my attention or my words, but because you are going to be family, I will try to be polite to you. Grow up because you are being nothing but a grade school bully who wants to throw a temper tantrum when you don't get your way. If you have a problem with my father, then you are nothing more than a short sighted prejudice ass. He helped raise me and always made sure I had what I needed. He gave me love and guidance and never once tried to stop me from my dreams, but maybe it is jealousy that makes you act the way you do. If I were you, I would take a good long look in the mirror and decide what type of man you want to be and strive to become that because right now you are nothing more than the dirt beneath my feet. If you think I think too much of myself, let me point something out to you. I don't think that because I am Kyoya's fiancée, I think that because it is true, and I am a person who knows who I am and what I want to be. Falling in love with your brother was just a bonus. I don't care if I get anything but his love for the rest of my life. I will have love and my dreams. You will have nothing but begging for something that isn't yours. You are a dog that just wants to please and be petted. Well I am not going to stroke your ego you stupid arrogant egotistical bastard!"

Kyoya saw the third demon's appearance and could only guess at what his brother did this time. He had to bide his time before he could go rescue his fiancée, of course he might have taken his time because he knew Haruhi was going to lay into Akito. His brother deserved it. Making his way towards the dancing pair, he could see his brother was sweating a little and his eyes were huge. Of course Haruhi was a little scary like that and not even Kyoya liked to mess with her when she was in demon mode. "Akito, Haruhi, may I step in."

Akito nodded and released Haruhi, but before he could step away from the engaged couple, Kyoya added, "You should know that Haruhi is the third demon of the host club and not someone to be trifled with. You messed with the wrong woman tonight brother." Nodding once again, Akito moved off of the dance floor to find himself a drink. He seriously underestimated Haruhi and found himself wondering if she wouldn't make a good addition to the family. She could definitely give his brother and father a run for their money.

Pulling Haruhi into his arms, Kyoya noticed that the demon aura was dissipating and had to admit he felt relieved that he wouldn't have to deal with the third demon tonight. Whispering in her ear, he said, "Feel better?"

Smirking, Haruhi snapped, "I would like to point out that it wasn't my fault. He just doesn't know how to shut his trap."

"I don't doubt that for a minute and I am not going to argue with you at all. I am proud of you in fact."

Pulling back and examining Kyoya face, Haruhi asked, "You are?"

"Of course, I was actually wondering how long it would take him to bring out the dreaded third demon. I knew he would push you eventually and I was right."

"You're always right," Haruhi snickered.

"That is true. So you want to tell me what he said?"

"You know the usual. You, us, my father…"

"And you set him straight."

"Well, someone had to."

"I guess so since he wasn't listening to me," Kyoya smiled and gave her a small kiss on the lips, "I love you."

"I love you too Kyoya," Haruhi blushed and let him glide her around the dance floor only releasing her to dance with the other hosts, Yuuichi, or Ranka. He wasn't sure he trusted anyone else with her.

Nine o'clock was soon striking its tones on the clock. Yoshio gathered everyone around the small stage where the orchestra was and used the microphone to make his announcement, "I want to thank everyone for attending tonight and joining in our little festivities. Tonight is one of celebration as I announce the official engagement of my youngest son, Kyoya, and his new fiancée, Haruhi Fujioka. Please join me in congratulating the young couple on their betrothal."

Applause sounded throughout the crowd at the announcement. Kyoya and Haruhi were standing on stage with Yoshio and smiled their thanks to everyone, and the grins grew when they heard the yells and thundering claps coming from the five men in the front row (well four because Mori wasn't yelling). Turning to gaze at each other at the same time, they smirked and both had the same thought, _"They are loud, strange, and obnoxious, but they are our best friends."_

Making his way to the stage, Akito said something in his father's ear before walking up to the couple. He could see them both stiffen at his approach and how the smiles were no longer genuine but forced. Reaching into his jacket, he pulled out a packet of papers that were tied with a black ribbon and handed them to Kyoya, "Congratulations little brother. This is from me to you for your engagement."

Haruhi and Kyoya looked at the package they were handed with trepidation. Both were afraid to open it and see what it contained. "Thank you Akito," Kyoya finally stated before he tried to pocket the gift.

"Don't trust me little brother? Open it, it won't hurt you. Everyone is watching," Akito challenged Kyoya.

The youngest Ootori took the challenge head on and untied the ribbon before unfolding the stack of papers. Shock was written across his face as he looked from the gift to his brother, "Is this some sort of joke?"

Confused, Haruhi grabbed the papers from Haruhi and scanned the top sheet. To say that she was surprised is an understatement, "Akito-kun?"

"I may not agree with your social standing or what you bring to the table; although, I am starting to see why everyone seems to be intrigued with you. However, I also know after these past couple weeks that you love my brother and I know that I will not be able to come between you two again. So although I may not approve, this is my engagement gift to you. I was able to see the Northern Lights once while I was in Alaska and it was a sight to behold. You will be able to see it for yourself over your winter break from school. Everything has been arranged," Akito explained.

"Thank you Akito-kun," Haruhi felt awed and breathless.

Taking the papers from his fiancée, Kyoya folded them back up and placed them in his inside coat pocket and stuck out his hand for his brother to shake, "Thank you Akito. This means a lot to us."

Akito shook the hand that was offered, "You are still family Kyoya even if I don't agree with everything."

When the brothers shook hands, applause erupted again led by the host club. The five men were curious about what the evil Ootori son could have possibly given to their friends, but judging from the expressions on the faces of Haruhi and Kyoya, it was something really good.

Leading Haruhi off of the small stage, Kyoya walked her to the center of the dance floor as a waltz started and began to swing her around the floor in their official engagement dance. Everyone looked on a marveled at what a stunning couple they made together. Even if someone didn't agree with the match, no one was stupid enough to go against the Ootori family.

"Did I read that right and hear your brother correctly? He actually did something nice for us?" Haruhi asked astonished and not quite believing everything.

"It would appear that way. We can look at it more tonight after the party," Kyoya responded. He was in just as much shock as she was.

"But why?"

"I don't know Haruhi, but it appears that although he may not like it, he has chosen to follow father and accept the relationship."

"Does this mean that I have to be nice to him now?"

Chuckling, Kyoya shook his head, "Not at all, but it does mean that we should at least be polite until he earns our trust."

"I can do that," Haruhi smiled, "Besides I have always wanted to see the Aurora Borealis."

Unable to resist kissing her, Kyoya leaned down and just brushed her lips with his before straightening. It wouldn't do for an Ootori to make out with his fiancée on the dance floor. "Me too and it will make it that much more special to witness them with you."


	15. Merits and Bribery

**A/N: Well it was the general consensus that there is more to the gift than Akito just being nice. You will just have to wait and see if you are right or not. Here is the new chapter... happy reading.**

Chapter 15 – Merits and Bribery

"I have to say that I am impressed that you actually listened to me since I know how against Haruhi you are," Yoshio smirked as he took a seat behind his desk. He, Akito, and Yuuichi had just arrived back at the house after the engagement party. Kyoya was taking Haruhi home and if the patriarch was a betting man, and he was, he was not expecting his youngest son home tonight.

Resisting the urge to roll his eyes, Akito stated simply, "You gave me an offer I could not refuse, and based on what I have witnessed tonight, she may not be the most deplorable sister-in-law."

"Be careful Akito. She will be welcomed in this family, and you will not do anything to come between her and Kyoya," Yoshio snapped.

"Why? Is it because she will be another lawyer in our list of lawyers?"

"Although I do believe she will be a formidable attorney and can help our legal team, it is so much more than that. She has honor, guts, intelligence, and good sense."

"Is this because she amuses you? You don't have to allow her into the family just to keep your amusement," Akito sneered. However, one minute he was thinking very highly of himself and the next, he was holding his cheek.

"You would do well to remember that I am the head of this family. It isn't about my amusement or anything else. She is a woman to be reckoned with and will become more so as she gets older and gains experience. Suoh wanted her for his son, but she chose Kyoya. You may not like her, but you will accept her as part of this family or you will not be part of this family."

"I have already accepted your offer. I gave them their engagement present without any strings attached. Did I not?"

"You did, and as per our agreement you will manage the medical distribution company, but remember… I gave you that position and I can take it away. Do not disappointment me," Yoshio declared before he moved back to his desk and started flipping through some of the files there. Smirking, he glanced at his son, "You do realize that whomever I choose to be heir will be the person that is in charge of everything." He loved to dangle that in front of all of his sons' faces. Hint at more, but never really tell them who would succeed him.

Grinding his teeth, Akito bowed, "I understand father."

"Then you are dismissed," the older man dismissed his middle son.

Akito left his father's office and when he was in the hall with the door closed, he clenched his fists. Oh he knew that he would probably be reporting to one of his brothers, but he knew how to play the game also. As long as he was in charge of one of the businesses, he wouldn't have to deal with them too much. He knew how to run a business and he would do what he needed to do in order to be a success in his father's eyes. If getting some control meant he had to accept Haruhi into the family, he could do that.

**_Haruhi's apartment_**

When the party finally came to an end and the newly engaged couple could finally leave, they very quickly, but politely moved out to the limo in order to leave the area as soon as possible. They wanted to be sure that their friends, well Tamaki, couldn't suggest doing some sort of crazy commoner event like all night bowling. They were exhausted and ready to get away from a crowd of people.

Walking into the apartment, Kyoya asked, "Where is your father? He left the party over an hour ago." The apartment was dark and it was apparent that nobody was home when they got there.

"He said something about meeting some of his friends to celebrate with them. I don't think he will be home tonight," Haruhi responded.

"Are you going to be alright alone?" Kyoya asked moving into the living room and sitting on the couch as Haruhi started the water for tea.

Rolling her eyes, she shook her head at her fiancé, "You do realize I've stayed here alone several times before."

He motioned her over when she walked into the living room waiting for the water to boil. Pulling her onto his lap, he chuckled, "I know, but I think I am allowed to ask and be concerned when you are alone. Don't you think?"

"I guess it is acceptable," she answered wrapping her arms around his neck and giving him a kiss. When she ended the kiss, she whispered, "I will be right back. I am going to get out of this dress and wash my face. Ok? Will you listen for the water?"

"I can do that."

"Good. I will be right back." Haruhi stood up and walked towards her room. It was time to get comfortable.

By the time Haruhi completely everything she wanted to do and returned to the living room, Kyoya was carrying in a tray of tea and setting it on the coffee table, "Thank you Kyoya."

Handing her a cup of the hot brew, Kyoya settled down next to her on the couch once again, "Feel better?"

"Much better!" Haruhi exclaimed as she leaned into his side and allowed him to wrap an arm around her shoulders. When she was comfortable, she turned her face up, "So we are we going to examine these papers your brother gave us for any nefarious attachments?"

Chuckling, Kyoya took back his arm and put his tea down on the table. He reached into the jacket pocket of the coat he had removed and laid across one of the arms of the couch they were occupying. Pulling out the stack of papers, he unfolded them and began his examination, "I guess now is as good a time as any."

As the couple started to review all of the documents, they were amazed at the amount of thought and planning that went into the gift. Neither could find anything malicious and it appeared to be genuine. The itinerary had been planned for them complete with flight, hotel, and tours. They would get to see the glaciers, the Northern Lights, and a plane ride to see the landscape. It was a perfect romantic getaway. Granted it was going to be in the middle of winter and cold, but it was the best time to bear witness to it all.

Scrunching her face in confusion, Haruhi asked, "Am I mistaken or is this real?"

Kyoya double and triple checked the documents, and everything appeared to be legit. "I think my brother actually did something nice for us. The question is why?" He pondered out loud.

"Do you think Yuuichi or your father had something to do with this?"

Smirking, Kyoya stated, "I think that is almost guaranteed. I don't see him doing something like this otherwise."

"So does this mean he accepts the relationship and will leave us alone?"

"It means that he accepts it, but I am not sure whether he approves or likes it. Probably not, based on his previous words and deeds, however he will probably be leaving us alone from now on. At least, I hope he will."

"Are you going to talk to your father about this?"

"You know me too well… I am."

"Are we going to accept his gift and go on the trip?"

Glancing down at the woman next to him, Kyoya smiled, "I think I will leave that decision up to you, but I believe it would be fun and a shame to waste it. What do you think?"

"I completely agree. We should go on the trip. It will give us both a break away from school and the others," Haruhi beamed.

"Then we will go on the trip together," he said softly as he leaned down and kissed the top of her head. It was moments like this, when she was leaned against his side and had an arm draped over him that he was reminded how lucky he was to get a second chance.

"What are you thinking about?"

"I was just thinking that you are beautiful and I am a lucky man to have you in my life. Tamaki may act like a moron and a drama queen sometimes, but he has his serious moments and I don't know if we would be sitting here like this if it wasn't for him."

Nodding, Haruhi whispered, "I agree. The whole club could tell that neither one of us was happy, but he actually did something about it."

"And I will forever be grateful to him for that," Kyoya declared quietly as he leaned down and captured her lips.

When they broke apart, Haruhi laid her head on his chest and listened to the heart beat. It matched her own rhythm and she knew it beat for her. The steady beat soon had her yawning and before long she had fallen asleep on her fiancé.

Kyoya knew that it wouldn't take much for Haruhi to crash for the night, and once again he was right. He noticed her yawning and soon she felt like a dead weight as her breathing evened out. Leaning his head back, he only meant to close his eyes for a moment before he carried her to her bedroom, but he was soon he was lost to the oblivion of sleep himself.

Both teens woke up to a shrill ringing coming from the coffee table. Peeling their eyes open, they watched for a second as the phone lying there was lit up like Christmas before Kyoya grabbed it and answered realizing who was calling, "What do you want Tamaki?"

"Kyoya! Can you get in touch with Haruhi? I don't have her home phone number," Tamaki inquired on the line.

"I can, but before I do… why?" Kyoya growled; he hated to be woken up early in the morning.

"Those doppelgangers have her phone! I was going to inform her of the problem when I realized I can't call her because the twins would pick up."

"I will let her know that they have it. Can I go now?"

"WAIT!"

"What now Tamaki?"

"What did your brother give you? I didn't have a chance to ask you last night. Is he trying to come between you and Haruhi again?" The last thing he wanted was to see a repeat of his friends' utter misery. He would do anything in his power to stop that from happening. Kyoya and Haruhi belonged together and if someone just looked at them, it was more than apparent. He had been agonizing over the gift all night and he needed to know. He thought he did good waiting until 10:30 am before he called, but evidently it had not been long enough.

Running his hand through his hair, he exhaled loudly as Haruhi got up and moved into the kitchen to make tea and breakfast, "Actually, it was a trip to Alaska so that we could see the Northern Lights."

"Is he trying to banish you like he was temporarily banished?"

Kyoya pulled the phone away from his ear and stared at it for a second. Tamaki didn't sound dramatic or anxious, he sounded very serious. Putting the phone back to his ear, Kyoya stated, "No, I looked at everything and it appears to be on the up and up."

"Why?"

"I don't know, but I have my suspicions."

"Don't trust him. It could be a ploy."

"You don't have to warn me against my own brother. I am well aware what he is capable of."

"I know Kyoya. I just don't want anything to happen to you and Haruhi again."

"Nothing like that will ever happen again," Kyoya vowed.

"Good to hear!" Tamaki smiled and in the next moment his serious side was gone, "UGH! Those identical monsters are taunting me mommy! They keep calling me from Haruhi's phone. I will have to let you go. I need to protect my daughter's reputation and deal with these two devils!"

Dead air greeted Kyoya seconds later and he had to laugh. Sometimes he swore that Tamaki had split personalities. Getting up from the couch, he stretched and worked the kinks out of his body before moving into the kitchen and giving Haruhi a kiss, "Tamaki called to ask me to tell you that somehow Hikaru and Kaoru have stolen your phone."

"So that's what happened to it last night!" Haruhi groaned.

"How long have you known it was missing?"

"Since dinner, but I wasn't sure if I had left it in the car or not, so I was going to ask you to have someone look for it today. I guess you don't have to though."

"Apparently not since they are using it to call Tamaki and according to him, taunt him with it."

"Do you mind calling them for me while I cook breakfast and tell them to bring it with them tomorrow?"

"Why don't you call them yourself?"

"Because they will keep me on the phone, somehow convince me to come over or they will invite themselves over here, and I am too tired to deal with them right now. Please? I love you," she pleaded and batted her eye lashes at him.

Kyoya sighed and finally nodded, "Fine, but I would only do this for you."

"I think we have already established the fact that I get special privileges as your fiancée," Haruhi laughed.

With one more kiss, Kyoya moved back into the living room to make the call without another word. He didn't hang up with the twins until Haruhi was bringing in two plates of breakfast and setting them on the table. That was 20 minutes later. Glaring at her, he muttered, "You owe me."

"What the Shadow King couldn't handle the twins?" Haruhi plastered a fake look of shock on her face knowing full well that the twins were never easy to deal with.

"You will have your phone tomorrow and they will not bother you today, however, I did have to threaten the use of my police force in order for them to comply."

Laughing and clutching her side, it took a moment for Haruhi to finally say, "I am so glad I made you deal with them instead of me."

"Like I said you owe me."

Still laughing, Haruhi sat crawled onto Kyoya's lap and wrapped her arms around his neck, "I think I would rather owe you than deal with them today." With that said, she pulled him down for a very enjoyable kiss.

Their kiss was cut off with Kyoya's phone ringing again. "What is this Grand Central Station?" He grumbled before he looked at the caller id, "Yuuichi?"

"You got a package delivered from Ouran yesterday, but someone put it in my room. I opened it and I am not sure what you are doing with five yellow dresses. Sorry little brother, but this yellow is not your color," Yuuichi teased.

Face palming, Kyoya grumbled, "Those are Haruhi's new uniforms. I guess they sent them there by mistake since I am the one that ordered them for her. Can you put them in my room and we will be there in a little bit to get them?"

"I can do that Kyoya. Are you sure they are not for some cosplay idea for that club of yours? Or has Haruhi convinced you to try cross dressing yourself?"

"Will you shut up and just do as I ask?"

"Calm down and don't worry. I will make sure your dresses are safely ensconced in your room without anyone else knowing. It's our little secret."

"You are a moron. Thank you though."

"You're welcome. I will see you later," Yuuichi chuckled.

"Wait, I have a question for you," Kyoya spoke out wanting to discuss the Alaska trip with the eldest son to see if he had something to do with it.

The older man remained on the line and asked, "What is it?"

"What do you know about Akito's gift?"

"What do you mean? I know he gave you and Haruhi a trip to Alaska. Was there a problem with it?"

Kyoya pinched the bridge of his nose to try to keep from lashing out and demanding answers, "Why did he give it? He has made it well known that he doesn't like the fact that Haruhi is a commoner, and he doesn't think she and I belong together. So why would he give us something like this as a show of acceptance."

The eldest son knew exactly what his little brother was asking, "Father offered him with the medical distribution company."

"He gave him the company?" Not believing that his father would just hand over something like that.

"He doesn't own it, but he will be running it from now on. Whoever is chosen as heir will still ultimately be over that company. I think he is either trying to prove something to father or create his own little nest egg. The gift was genuine even if the reasons for it weren't," Yuuichi explained.

"Bribery."

"Yes it was, but father saw merit in it and it helps you and Haruhi, so let it go. Akito will come around in time. Haruhi is a wonderful girl and she is good for you. He will see that in his own time and his own way. He is just a little blind right now."

"I will drop it, but I won't drop my guard around him."

"I don't expect you to. I think you need to stay on your toes around him and the rest of us. The heir has not been decided yet, and although I won't harbor any ill feelings towards you if you are announced as heir, I am still going to try to prove to father that I deserve it until then." He wasn't trying to be vindictive or mean; he was trying to let his brother know where he stood.

"I know and I understand. Thank you Yuuichi," said Kyoya.

"I will talk to you later Kyoya. Good bye," Yuuichi spoke into the phone before disconnecting the call.

Leaning back on the couch, Kyoya sighed as he started to rub his temples. He was about to get up to get some aspirin when Haruhi shook his arm and handed him two white pills and a glass of water, "You always do read me best."

"Is everything ok?" Haruhi inquired concerned for her fiancé.

"I am fine. It has just been a long morning. Yuuichi called to inform me that your uniforms were delivered to my house instead of here. In fact, someone put them in his room and he wanted to know why I had five yellow dresses delivered to myself."

"Why did he open the box if it was addressed to you?"

"He probably saw the box and opened it without looking. My guess is when he saw the dresses, he looked at the address label and that is when he called me, or waited until this morning to call me."

"Wait, you said five. I thought we agreed two?"

"You said two, I said five. I ordered five."

"Damn rich bastard," Haruhi murmured.

"I heard that," he tried to sound threatening, but the smile ruined it.

"Good. What else did he say?"

"After he teased me about using the dresses for cosplay and cross dressing, he told me that Akito gave us the trip because he was bribed by my father. He has basically accepted us because he was given a company to run."

"What does that mean?"

"Honestly nothing. He wasn't given the company to own, just run. He isn't the heir, so it really boils down to he is the president of that company but will report to whoever the head of the zaibatsu will be. My father still hasn't decided on that yet though and it will probably be a while before he makes a decision."

"Ok. Anything else?"

"Not really. He said that he plans to do what he can to be heir, but said that if I get it, he will be fine with it. I don't think either one of us expects Akito to get it, but we can't completely rule him out of the running either."

Handing him a plate of food, Haruhi pointed to it and told him, "Eat and then we will go to your house to get all of those yellow monstrosities. You would think they could come up with a better color than that."

"I have to agree with you on that one," Kyoya chuckled and accepted the food from her. If he became heir, he knew he would be on top of the world with Haruhi at his side; however, if for some reason his father chose someone else, he knew that he would be alright because there were so many other things that he could pursuit. As long as he had Haruhi, he felt like he could conquer the world.


	16. Facing the Crowd

**A/N: Now you know why Akito is being so accepting of them now. He is an Ootori after all and he needs merits to accept something such as a commoner into the family, even if everyone else is willing to accept her regardless of her background. Still he is a sneaky one and he should probably be watched closely for a while. Enjoy the new chapter. **

**I will leave this one up to you to vote on… there is a poll on my author page, or send me a pm or put it in the review. Should Kyoya become the heir or should Yuuichi? No, I am not letting Akito have it. You have a week to let me know. The poll will be closed on June 1.**

Chapter 16 – Facing the Crowd

Monday morning dawned all too quickly for both Haruhi and Kyoya. They each woke up wondering what was going to happen as they made their way through the school day, knowing that it could either be really good or really bad.

"Should I assign a bodyguard to her today?" Kyoya pondered out loud as he made his way to the dining room to eat breakfast that morning.

"What was that Kyoya?" Yoshio asked his youngest son who had walked to the table seemingly lost in his own world. He heard him mumble something about a guard, but was unsure what Kyoya was talking about.

Glancing up at the man addressing him, Kyoya suddenly realized that he was not alone and he was talking aloud to himself, "Sorry father."

"What were you talking to yourself about?" The patriarch probed some more.

Kyoya knew that he was caught and would not be able to leave without answering his father's question, "I was wondering if I should assign Haruhi a bodyguard today. It is her first day at school since we revealed her true gender and our engagement to the general population at Ouran."

"Do you think someone would dare do anything to someone associated with the Ootori family?" Yoshio couldn't imagine someone being that stupid, but a jealous girl was not always the most discerning and could act without thinking. _"Maybe a bodyguard would be a good idea,"_ he thought.

Sighing, Kyoya answered him honestly, "I do not believe so, but there were some students at the ball that made it more than evident that they were not happy with the new facts of life that were presented to them."

"Assign her someone to look out for her this week. If we need to extend it, we will. We need to get her a security team anyway," Yoshio ordered.

"It is not that easy father," Kyoya responded trying not to incite his father's temper. Yoshio Ootori did not like being told no.

With a perplexed look on his face, the eldest Ootori raised an eyebrow in question, "Oh and why is it not that easy?"

"Haruhi. She will not like someone guarding her and will most likely throw a fit if I assigned someone to watch her all day," Kyoya explained.

"She needs to get used to it as a member of this family, but I see the problem. Have someone watch her from a distance. Instruct them that they are not to be seen by her."

"Yes father," Kyoya agreed and crossed his fingers that Haruhi would not figure it out. She may not always be the most observant when it comes to feelings and the like, but anything else and she had skills that could rival his.

When he finally left the house to pick up Haruhi for school, he arranged the bodyguard to be at the school waiting and watching before they arrived. He knew she wouldn't like the thought of someone watching over her like this, but until he knew the students would not retaliate, it was better this way. He could still remember the bullying she received from Ayanokoji after she first became associated with the host club. Smirking, Kyoya recalled that Haruhi received the wrath of the redhead because Tamaki was giving the first year extra attention and she was jealous. If Ayanokoji knew that Haruhi was a girl at the time and not the boy she believed her to be, he could only imagine what the banished maiden would have done. Shaking himself from his thoughts, he could only hope that Haruhi's reputation and the fact that the student body knew her now would help ease in the transition and lessen the chances of anything happening.

As his car pulled up to the familiar apartment complex, Kyoya was about to step out so that he could claim his fiancée, but Haruhi had a way of changing his intentions and his plans. She was already downstairs waiting for the car and had the door opened before the car came to a complete stop. Kyoya noticed she did not look happy as she sunk into the leather seats and dropped her bag on the floorboards of the car. He thought she looked beautiful in her dress with the touch of gloss she put on her lips. Her bangs were secured by a barrette and a look of disgust completed the ensemble. Chuckling, Kyoya leaned down and grabbed her hand as he gave her a soft peck on the cheek, "Something wrong Haruhi?"

"I hate this dress," she grumbled as she looked out the window and felt the car start to move towards its destination.

Kyoya was trying his best to keep his amusement under wraps because the last thing he wanted was for Haruhi to turn on him, "I think you look beautiful."

Turning her head from the window, she glared at her fiancé, "Then you wear it."

That made him pause only for a minute, "You knew you were going to have to wear it. You have worn one before if I remember correctly, and we know that I do."

"I know, but that was only for a couple of hours. This is for all day. It is tight and girlie and impractical. Plus the dress is an ugly yellow color. I wish I could wear the boy's uniform again. It was so much easier to move in, and you know me… trying to run in these shoes when I am running late, I will probably break my neck."

Kyoya knew then what her problem was. Yes, she probably hated the dress and he really couldn't blame her for that, but she was nervous about the welcome she would receive at school. The calm manner she had been projecting was a façade and he should have realized that a lot sooner. Cupping her face and brushing his thumb over her cheek, he told her, "You look gorgeous in that 'yellow monstrosity' and you will do great today. Don't worry about the other students. You are you, and you have always been able to deal with the most egotistical and moronic of men. If you can handle the hosts, myself included, then the rest of Ouran will be a piece of cake. You have the support of the host club and your customers as well as others."

Sighing, Haruhi broke eye contact and moved her eyes to look down, "Was I that obvious?"

"Maybe not to others, but you are dealing with me right now," Kyoya smiled not disturbed that she was not meeting his gaze at the moment.

Haruhi snapped her fingers as she moved her eyes to meet his once again and smirked, "That's right! I forgot that I can't keep anything from the infamous Shadow King of Ouran High School."

Leaning in to give her a kiss, Kyoya realized that her lips tasted like strawberries and he wanted more. Flavored lip gloss could fast become a favorite of his. When he finally broke the kiss off, he touched his forehead to hers and breathlessly stated, "Never could and never will be able to."

Haruhi laughed. She was very nervous about today and Kyoya's particular brand of confidence and conceit was just what she needed to help settle her nerves. Oh she was still anxious and apprehensive about how the day would progress but she knew that she had a support system and if she knew Kyoya, and she knew him very well, he would have someone hiding in the shadows looking out for her. She pondered that though momentarily and wondered if she should confront him about it, or let him have his way. She decided against the confrontation because she knew it would put his mind at ease, and she might admit that it would put hers a little at ease also. She knew girls could be vindictive and viscous, and the last thing she wanted to do was deal with girls that wanted to hate her for the simple fact that she was going to marry Kyoya Ootori. Lifting her face for one more kiss before they made it to the school, she whispered before her lips met his, "We'll see about that."

As the car was pulling up to the drop off location for the high school, Haruhi and Kyoya both noticed a large crowd of people gathered. It was reminiscent of Valentine's Day and White Day. Each of the teens in the back of the car had a perplexed look on their face momentarily before they realized that the mob was probably waiting for them.

Clearing her throat, Haruhi inquired, "You have your bodyguard with you, right?"

"Of course. Tachibana will accompany us inside today," Kyoya stated and grabbed her hand weaving their fingers together, "Just keep your hand in mine."

"You have someone in the school too, don't you?"

Kyoya should have known that Haruhi would have figured his plans out early, but he did not lot the surprise show on his face, "I do. He is going to watch over you from a distance and not interfere unless needed."

"Damn rich bastards," she murmured under her breath. Speaking up, she stated, "Well, I guess it was good planning on your part then." Scanning the crowd, they didn't look violent, but she had learned long ago that the people at Ouran could mask a lot of their emotions if they wanted to. She figured it was a defense mechanism growing up in the part of society that they did.

He had heard her first comment and smiled. She was never going to change and he didn't want her to. That catchphrase was one of the things that made her who she was. Glancing at the mass of people, Kyoya scowled, "It would appear so. It seems larger than our usual swarm for holidays."

"If you are trying to make me feel better, you fail miserably," Haruhi groaned as the car came to a stop. Both waited for the driver to get out and open the door for them.

Tachibana had been sitting in the passenger seat up front and were waiting for both of the teens to exit the car. He would protect them with his life if needed, although he was fairly certain he would still be breathing at the end of the day.

The other hosts had arrived early that morning so that the host club could walk into the school together. Hunny and Mori had also come over to the high school so that they could lend their support to their Host Club princess and present a united front. What they did not expect was to see the size of the pack of students that had gathered that morning, and as the time progressed the crowd grew until there were easily at least 100 students. The five men knew that the throng was there to see Haruhi or Haruhi and Kyoya, and all of the hosts had the same thought, _"Is she going to be alright?"_

When Haruhi and Kyoya finally exited the limo, Tamaki spotted Haruhi and was so excited to see her in the girl's uniform, he could not contain himself. Sprinting towards his favorite female host, he cried out as he pulled her into his arms, "Haruhi you look so pretty in your new uniform! Daddy is so happy!" He started to spin her around unable to help himself.

Shooting a death glare at Kyoya, she growled, "You better save me or else." Haruhi then focused on her captor and yelled, "Put me down Tamaki-senpai!"

"Tamaki put Haruhi down now. She doesn't want to be manhandled by you this morning or any morning for that matter," Kyoya ordered his best friend. He knew that Tachibana would not do anything against Tamaki because the blonde was a close personal friend. His bodyguard was more focused on the others in the crowd and knew that Tamaki would do nothing to hurt Haruhi, at least not on purpose. The Host Club king may be an idiot, but at least he was an innocent one.

Setting the woman in his arms down gently lest he hurt her and incur the wrath of one of the three demons of the Host Club (shivers), Tamaki apologized, "Sorry Haruhi, Kyoya. It is just that she is so cute in that dress! Daddy is so excited for you! You finally look like a girl and are just so adorable."

Kyoya pinched the bridge of his nose and grabbed Haruhi's hand again knowing that Tamaki would not rip her away any more. The other hosts approached smiling, and Kyoya knew they were appreciating his fiancée in her new uniform. He noticed that the mass of students had not moved or said anything since the couple exited the car. They were eerily quiet as if watching to see what would happen next. So he decided to lay his claim once again and gave her a brief kiss on the lips.

The flock of students had gathered to behold Haruhi and Kyoya arrive together. Half of the girls felt like what they had witnessed on Friday night at the ball had to be a dream. They didn't want to believe the announcement that was printed in the newspaper on Sunday. However, when Kyoya stepped out of the car followed by Haruhi in her new uniform, they knew that it had to be true. Kyoya was off the market and was snagged by one Haruhi Fujioka who was really a girl this whole time. The other half of the girls were there to show their support of their friend. It did not matter that she had pretended to be a boy because honestly everyone just assumed without asking because of how she was dressed since day one at Ouran. The boys in the crowd wanted another glimpse of Haruhi now that they knew she was a girl. They knew they didn't have a chance with her, but after the way she looked at the ball, they decided they could admire her from afar. When everyone witnessed the kiss, the entire crowd gasped before some of them started to scream MOE. Boys were covering their ears to protect their ear drums and prevent any hearing loss from the increased volume surrounding them. Sometimes they just didn't understand the fangirls of the host club.

Kyoya heard the intake of breath and then the screams and smirked. When he looked to his friends, he could see their wide smiles and noticed the twins were giving him two thumbs up each. Now they just needed to make it into the school and through the day to know if everything was a success and everyone accepted Haruhi as a girl, or if Haruhi would have a permanent bodyguard the remainder of her days at Ouran. Giving his fiancée's hand a squeeze, Kyoya started walking towards the school with Haruhi by his side and the remaining hosts lined up behind them in a show up support. He knew Tachibana would be behind the hosts since there was another guard awaiting them inside.

When they arrived at Haruhi's first period class, Kyoya leaned down and spoke softly in her ear, "I have arranged it so that I will escort you to all of your classes today. I should be here before you get dismissed from each class, but just in case I am not, wait for me." It was days like today that he wished the twins had all of their classes together again.

"You don't have to do that Kyoya," Haruhi muttered not wanting to draw extra attention to herself.

"I want to."

Rolling her eyes, Haruhi sighed, "Fine. I will let you do that today, but that is it."

"Haruhi, I thought you knew… I can do anything I want to," Kyoya smirked before he walked off towards his own first period class with a small chuckle.

Muttering under her breath, Haruhi walked to her desk in order to review her lesson notes, "Egotistical Shadow King thinks he can do anything he wants. Sometimes he is so annoying."

"Whose annoying Haruhi?" Momoka asked smiling as she took her seat next to Haruhi's.

Haruhi's head snapped up and she blushed. She never expected someone to hear her, but at least it was a friend and customer of the host club. Grimacing, she exhaled, "It's nothing. Kyoya's just a little full of himself sometimes."

Momoka laughed, "Well he is Kyoya Ootori."

Joining in the laughter, Haruhi agreed, "This is very true."

"So I guess you love that about him."

"Most of the time," Haruhi smiled.

"How did you two fall for each other? No offense Haruhi, but I would have figured you would have fallen for one of the others."

"No offense taken. Honestly we just gravitated towards each other when we went on a Host Club trip last year after Hunny-senpai and Mori-senpai graduated. There was a spark before that too, but when you are the two that tend to be the sanest in the group it is easy to find common ground. When we went on the trip, everything just happened. We got closer and it continued after we got back. We were in the middle of dating before we realized we were a couple."

Hearts in her eyes, Momoka was swept away by the romantic nature of the story, "That is so sweet!"

Her smile growing, Haruhi nodded, "Yah. I wasn't expecting to find love in high school, but I did and he is a great guy that loves me for me; and I found out that he can be one of the nicest guys I know. He is very sweet."

"Sorry Haruhi, but that doesn't sound like the Kyoya-senpai I know, but then again when you are in love, you do things for the person you love you wouldn't do for others."

"Very true," Haruhi agreed and noticed that her conversation with Momoka had drawn a small crowd of people around them. Dropping her gaze to her notes, she was blushing and wished the others would go away, but knew that they wouldn't. They probably had more questions for her and she was right. The interrogation only stopped when the teacher walked into the classroom and brought order so that she could teach the lesson plan of the day.

The inquisition was the same in every class she attended that day. Everyone wanted to know the story of Haruhi Fujioka and Kyoya Ootori and how they fell in love. For some it made them dream of finding their own prince charming, for others it made their jealousy grow because they wanted what Haruhi had, and for some more it shed new light on both Haruhi and Kyoya.

True to his word, Kyoya was there for her between each class and even answered some questions himself. Haruhi got the feeling that he was getting bombarded with questions in his own classes like she was, but unlike her he could send everyone scurrying away with just a look. In other words, he was probably not answering as many questions as she was.

When lunch approached, Kyoya escorted Haruhi to the center of the rose maze to get away from everyone and to get some peace in their somewhat hectic day, "I am sure you don't mind skipping the lunch crowd today."

"Not at all! Have you been getting the Spanish Inquisition also?" Haruhi inquired.

"People have tried to ask questions," Kyoya smirked.

Haruhi knew with that one look that she had been right; Kyoya knew how to frighten people away with one look and that prevented anyone from probing too much. It just wasn't fair. "I figured you would go all Shadow King on them," Haruhi laughed.

"Of course. Did you really think they would be able to get me to talk so easily?"

Furrowing her brow, Haruhi mumbled, "Now I feel bad for telling them our story."

Kyoya surprised her with a lingering kiss. When he stopped, he said, "I don't care if you tell them, but that doesn't mean that I will. If you noticed I did answer some questions when I was with you, but the people that are approaching me are not out for our love story, they are out for gossip and trying to get dirty details. I won't give in to their needs."

"Oh."

"Do you see the difference?"

"Yes, I do."

"Good, now let's eat before anyone finds us and we have our peacefulness interrupted."

No one disturbed them at lunch. Haruhi believed that was because Kyoya's bodyguards kept everyone at bay because when they exited the maze, another mass of people were waiting for them. Holding tight to each other's hands, the couple walked into the school without talking to any of them and found the rest of the club, sans Mori and Hunny, waiting for them. "As you can see Tamaki, Haruhi is returned safely to the school and there is no need to send out a search party," Kyoya smirked teasing the blonde about the last time Kyoya kidnapped Haruhi for a lunch alone.

Smiling, Tamaki laughed, "Yes, well this time I figured you two were hiding out somewhere."

"No, you didn't boss," Hikaru shook his head.

Kaoru smiled deviously, "That's right. You were in a panic and wanted to look for them."

"We had to tell you that they were having lunch together," the twins stated at the same time wrapping their arms around each other.

"Listen here you two doppelgangers; I knew they were having lunch together. I was just testing you!" Tamaki screamed.

Nobody believed him as everyone started to laugh. Hikaru and Kaoru teased him some more, "Sure boss. You keep telling yourself that and explain why we had to wrestle your phone away from you so that you didn't call school security."

Pushing up his glasses, Kyoya addressed the trio, "Tamaki next time think before you act. The twins against you is never a pretty sight. Hikaru, Kaoru please do what you can to stop harassing him. I don't want him pouting and then trying to be extra clingy with Haruhi." His voice held a level of amusement though. Turning his attention to the girl next to him, he asked, "Are you ready to go to class?"

"Yes, I have to review for my quiz. The twins need to also because something tells me they didn't study for it at all," Haruhi smirked giving a look to her friends.

"Tamaki I will see you in class momentarily. I am going to walk Haruhi to the room," Kyoya explained.

"Mommy, why can't I go with you to walk our little girl to class? The twins get to go!" Tamaki whined.

Rolling his eyes, Kyoya stated, "Hikaru and Kaoru have class with her. I am escorting Haruhi today that is why they get to go with us."

"But mommy, I want to go to!" Tamaki pouted.

Haruhi knew that things would continue to escalate until someone gave in, "Kyoya it's alright. Tamaki-senpai you can come with us too this one time."

Pulling her into a hug, Tamaki shouted, "Thank you Haruhi. I knew you loved your daddy!"

Kyoya pried Haruhi away from his best friend and leered, "Will you stop doing that? I would like her in one piece for the wedding and our marriage."

"Sorry Mommy," Tamaki squeaked.

"Well if we are going to go, let's go," Kyoya sighed and with Haruhi's arm linked with his, he led the hosts to Haruhi's next class of the day.

The rest of the day progressed much the same as the first half had done. People would ask questions and for the most part Haruhi would answer them. The only thing that never came up was their short breakup and that was ok with her. By the time her last class ended and it was time for the Host Club, Haruhi was exhausted and ready to go home and relax. She kept telling herself she just had to make it through the Host Club and then she was home free, literally. She couldn't wait for the moment the doors closed to the music room for the day and Kyoya would drive her home. She was ready to be out of the dress and to be comfortable once again. Where was that fiancé of her though? He told her to wait for him if he wasn't there when class ended, and she was, but he wasn't anywhere to be seen.


	17. Idle Threats?

**A/N: This chapter was originally part of 16, but I decided to break up the extra-long chapter into 2 parts. When I was writing the chapter, I knew I could have the reactions be really extreme, but I figured two things: she was engaged to Kyoya and he would not tolerate anyone doing anything to her (aka terrified of the Shadow King), and everyone had a couple of days to let it sink in. Enjoy the new chapter!**

**Don't forget about the poll on my author page. You get to decide who will be the heir to the Ootori zaibatsu. The poll will close on the 1st of June. Thanks everyone!**

Chapter 17 – Idle Threats?

As Haruhi waited for Kyoya after her last class, she thought about the day. It hadn't been too bad; a lot of questions, but overall people seemed to accept everything she told them. Some were still struggling with the fact that they had been fooled into believing she was a guy, but they didn't do anything to her other than glare, and she could handle that. Hearing footsteps enter the classroom, Haruhi looked up with a beaming smile on her face expecting to see Kyoya and found someone that she had a bad memory of scowling at her: Ayanokoji. Her greeting for her fiancé froze on her lips before it could be released.

"You pretended to be a guy so that you could snag one of the hosts huh? I must commend you on your brilliant plan, but you will fail," Ayanokoji sneered.

"No, unlike you I wasn't out to find a rich boyfriend. I didn't even want to be part of the host club at first," Haruhi replied hoping that Kyoya was on his way. Where was he?

"You see, I think I am right and you are a gold digging pretentious little bitch that when you couldn't get Tamaki, set your sights on Kyoya Ootori. I will make sure you pay for doing what you did to them and to me!" The ex-host club customer screamed before she started to advance on her prey with every intention on teaching the brunette a lesson she would remember. If she had her way, Haruhi would leave the school and never return.

Before Haruhi could respond or do anything to defend herself, she spotted some movement behind her aggressor. Her knight in shining armor had finally arrived and she immediately felt better because she knew he would handle everything and protect her.

"I wouldn't do anything if I were you," Kyoya snapped and watched as Ayanokoji whipped around to face him.

"Kyoya, she has been lying to you and everyone! How can you take her side?" The redhead demanded to know.

"Let me make a few things perfectly clear… I knew she was a girl from day one. In fact from the moment she walked into the music room; it was everyone else that was a little slow as to what her gender was. Other than her gender she has been nothing but honest, at times brutally so. She doesn't care if she has all of the wealth in the world and did not seek to marry into money. It just happened, but you… you on the other hand have been trying to obtain a rich husband. Probably because your father's company is struggling and it has been rumored that it may be bought out. You want to be sure that you keep up with your current lifestyle. It is you that is gold digging and lying to people. You tried to bully Haruhi in her first year and when that didn't work, you accused her of attacking you, but we took her side. Why would a girl attack you? Of course you did think she was a male and was counting on the fact that since she was a commoner and didn't have the breeding you did, that we would take your side. How did it feel to be kicked out of the club? Now, let me tell you what you are going to do: you will apologize to my fiancée and you will leave her alone. You are to stay far away from her and any of the other hosts. If I hear one whisper of a rumor coming from you, I will destroy you and your family. You do not want to be on the bad side of the Ootori family. I can and will make sure you are removed from this school and have a hard time getting into any private school in Japan if anything is happens to Haruhi or anyone else associated with her because of your jealousy," Kyoya plastered on an evil grin as he glared at the villain in the room.

"You, you can't do that," Ayanokoji spoke with disbelief in her voice. It was more than apparent that she was terrified of the man that had walked into the room behind her.

Pushing up his glasses and catching the light just right, Kyoya disagreed with her, "Oh but I can and I will. I have been keeping an eye on you. Did you think just because you were forced out of the Host Club I would stop monitoring you? You were a threat to one of our hosts and needed to be watched to make sure you didn't do anything in retaliation. Rest assured that I have a very thorough file on you and your family. You have a choice to make: do what I said and leave, or have the Ootori family as an enemy. It is your decision. I suggest you make a wise one."

Haruhi observed everything that was going on around her and had not said anything. She was a little afraid of Kyoya at that moment because when he makes threats, they are not idle and he knows how to get what he wants. It may give her the chills, but it was one of the things she loved about him. He was extremely protective of his friends and the people he loved.

"I, I…" Ayanokoji started, but could not finish. She had been soundly beaten by Kyoya and there was nothing she could do. Turning around with her shoulders slumped and her head down, she stammered, "I,I s-sorry Haruhi. I w-will make sure I leave you alone from n-n-now on." Once she apologized, she fled the room trying to get as far away from the Shadow King as possible.

Walking up to her fiancé, Haruhi wrapped her arms around his waist and laid her head over his heart, "Well that was interesting."

Kyoya returned the embrace and sighed, "Something like that. Are you alright? I meant to get here sooner, but had to talk to the sensei. I saw her walking into the room when I was coming down the hall."

"I am fine. She didn't really get to say much before you showed up and you stopped her before she could do anything to me. Have you really been keeping tabs on her since she left?"

"Of course I have. She was a threat to the Host Club."

"Do you think we have to worry about her any longer?"

"Do you doubt my skills?"

Laughing, Haruhi shook her head, "No, I heard your threats and they even made me pause for a moment."

"Well you are different. I would never do anything like that to you. Even when you and I broke up, I wasn't going to do anything that would jeopardize your future. I still loved you and wanted you to have all of your dreams even if they weren't with me."

Haruhi pulled back slightly and looked into his eyes, "I guess it is a good thing you like me then."

"I think it is a little more than like," he winked before giving her a kiss.

"Will you two break it up? The boss is worried about his daughter and mommy," Kaoru snickered walking up to the couple.

"Where is your evil half?" Kyoya smirked.

"Teasing Tono back in the club room," the calm twin smiled.

Kyoya shook his head and exhaled loudly as he started to head towards music room three with Kaoru and Haruhi, "Well I guess he isn't going to change any time soon."

"Oh and just to warn you Kyoya-senpai, customers have already started to gather," Kaoru stated.

"You know, you sound just a little too happy about that. I expect that cheerfulness from Kyoya, but not you," Haruhi groaned.

Laughing, Kaoru tried to look innocent and failed, "It's your first day as a girl. You have drawn a crowd."

"First, I have always been a girl, and secondly… stop making me sound like an act in a freak show!" Haruhi declared.

Kaoru laughed some more, "Sorry."

The trio made it to the music room and sure enough a crowd had formed growing in size from the time Kaoru had gone in search of the cool and natural hosts. Everyone wanted to see Kyoya and Haruhi together, and Haruhi as a girl (or dressed as one… sorry Haruhi). If it had not been for the two body guards, they may have not made it into the room intact. The girls were a little on the exuberant side.

Upon entering the music room and shutting the door, Haruhi had started to scowl at Kaoru as he started to laugh about the flock of girls and heard the footsteps running towards her. Bracing herself for impact, nothing ever happened and the footsteps suddenly stopped. Turning around, she saw Tamaki frozen in place about two feet from her, "Tamaki-senpai?" She glanced at Kyoya and saw the glare that he was shooting his best friend and understood the hesitation of the blonde. The entire situation touched her funny bone and she started to laugh before declaring, "We are here safe and sound Tamaki-senpai. Now let's get ready because we already have a mob forming."

"So cute! Ok Haruhi, let's give the ladies an awesome hosting day!" Tamaki screeched. He wanted to pull her into his arms and spin her around, but he was not up to facing the wrath of Kyoya. Something in the expression of the bespectacled teen said do not mess with Haruhi or him right now and he was going to follow that self-preservation instinct.

The Host Club experienced an increased influx of customers that day. Everyone still wanted to see Haruhi as a girl, Haruhi and Kyoya together, and they wanted to hear the story of how they fell in love. Renge tried to convey the story of young love blossoming between the two hosts, but she embellished a lot and most of her facts were made up, "It happened right here in this very room. They would look at each other across the room and were unable to keep their eyes off of each other. He knew that it would be difficult because she was of common blood, but he could not keep himself from her. He fought the other hosts in a fierce battle for her heart and in the end, he won the fair maiden. When she was in trouble he rescued her sweeping her up in his strong powerful arms. She became the very air he breathed, and he became her reason for living. They kept their love and her gender hidden because they were afraid of judgment from the world around them. He even had to do battle with her own father. It is so Romeo and Juliet meets Cinderella, and makes me want to eat 10 bowls of rice!" What did one expect from someone who lived in her own world half of the time?

As Renge illuminated the visitors and patrons of the host club, girls fainted from the romantic nature of the story. Flames of MOE could be seen throughout the room and there was not one set of female eyes that did not have hearts in them for the newly crowned Shadow Couple.

Haruhi and Kyoya did tell their own version of the story to anyone that was interested in the truth, and although it was not as glamorous as Renge's version, the girls ate it up and loved it. Sighs and screams could be heard throughout the room as everyone fell in love with the tale of the two hosts. It was a true love story and the fangirls squealed with delight as they were able to experience just a taste of it.

The girls knew that Kyoya was now off the market, but he was that much sexier and cooler in their eyes. Their fantasies increased tenfold, and they wondered what it would be like to have him as their lover. The men who had found their way into the music room were even more jealous of the Shadow King than they were earlier in the day; they wanted Haruhi for themselves and at one point in time a few of them found a glimmer of bravery in themselves and tried to woo her. The plan backfired failing miserably when she shot them down and Kyoya appeared at her side to stake his claim. She only had eyes for one man, and it was the Host Club vice president.

As club ended for the day and the ladies and gentlemen were reluctantly ushered out, Haruhi collapsed on one of the couches. She only thought she was exhausted before, now she was bone weary tired. Closing her eyes for a moment, she inquired, "Kyoya are you almost done?"

Kyoya knew that Haruhi was going to want to leave right after club time was over and therefore, he packed everything up when the customers had finally left and grabbed both of their school bags. When she had asked that question, he was already walking towards her ready to go, "I can finish everything later so I am ready if you are."

Not expecting Kyoya to be right there, Haruhi jumped a little as her eyes flew open in a flash, "Don't do that!"

Laughing, Kyoya reached his hand down for her to take and pulled her up, "I didn't mean to startle you. Come on I will take you home and then I will work on the club finances."

"Stupid sneaky Shadow King moves as quietly as a ninja," Haruhi mumbled as she balanced herself.

"I heard that," Kyoya smirked.

Glaring, Haruhi shook her head not saying a word in defense or retaliation as she tried to take her bag away from him, but he was not giving it up. She decided she wasn't going to fight with him about it and let him carry it. It had been a long day and she just wanted to go home and relax a little bit, and the last thing she wanted was to think about school or anything else that had happened during the day. Yawning, Haruhi asked as she sat down in the back of the car, "Do you want to stay for dinner?"

"How about I order dinner and we eat it at your place so that you don't have to cook? I will even order enough for your father," Kyoya suggested wondering if she would be asleep by the time they arrived at her place.

"Fine."

"No arguing?"

"Nope, not tonight."

Chuckling, he exclaimed, "It's a miracle."

Unable to help herself, Haruhi started to laugh too. She knew that normally she would argue with him about things like that, but not tonight. If she didn't cook she could spend extra time with Kyoya, and it would allow her to relax that much more. It was a win win situation.

Haruhi was asleep even before they had arrived at the apartment. Tachibana carried the bags up while Kyoya carried his fiancée up to the residence. Setting her down in her bed, Kyoya walked into the kitchen to make some tea and place an order for dinner knowing that his bodyguard had already walked out the door and returned to the car. As he settled himself at the table in the living room, Kyoya thought about the encounter with Ayanokoji. He didn't really think she would try to do anything now that he laid some of his cards out on the table, but he was prepared just in case. Hopefully she took his threats seriously because he would carry through with them if she did anything to hurt the woman he loved. He never made idle threats, but he also never had to carry through on any of his "promises" since people were smart enough to listen to him the first time, the other hosts and his family being the only exceptions to the rule.

Once dinner arrived, Kyoya woke his sleeping beauty and they ate together enjoying their quiet time alone. It had been a long hectic day where they were swarmed by people the majority of the time and it had been hard to think and remain calm without feeling like a caged animal. Knowing that it was going to be a circus at school for a while, both of them basked in the moments that they could sneak together without inviting the rest of the world into their privacy.

Laying her head on Kyoya's shoulder after she was done with her meal, Haruhi inquired, "Can we just hole ourselves up and skip school for a while?"

Kyoya knew that she was joking and if he actually tried to take her up on the offer, she would be pacing and itching to go back to school before one day was up, "Sure if you think you can survive not attending school and thus missing precious class time."

"Never mind."

"That is what I thought," Kyoya chuckled as he wrapped an arm around her shoulders, "It will all blow over soon and then we won't have to worry about the masses of mobs trying swarm around us."

Laughing, Haruhi knew that everything was going to be ok because she had the man of her dreams and he was not going to leave her side. They had been to hell and back, and there was no one on the earth that could tear them apart again; certainly not a few overzealous teens that wanted to know everything about the Host Club. No, as long as they had each other, they had the world at their fingertips regardless of what happened around them and she couldn't ask for more than that.


	18. Epilogue - Memories

**A/N: Kyoya has proven once again he truly is the Shadow King when he threatened Ayanokoji (blame her appearance on me watching Ouran from the beginning yet again). LOL. Well we have come to the end of yet another story. This is the last chapter/epilogue and you will find out who won the poll, but seriously was there any doubt? I hope you enjoyed everything as much as I did. They are in love and happy and it was a good thing she walked into his room at the end of December Regrets. I am glad everyone wanted to see what happened next. Please let me know what you think. Thank you everyone! See you next story!**

Epilogue - Memories

Haruhi stood in a pastel painted room looking out the window as the clouds were starting to move in threatening rain. It was not supposed to be an all-out storm, just a light rain. Smiling, she started to rub her bulging stomach. She and Kyoya were preparing to welcome their first child into the world any day now.

Thinking back over the last several years, it had been a whirlwind of activity, but she wouldn't have changed anything about it. They were full of love, life, laughter, and of course drama. The Host Club had remained an ever present entity in their lives. Giggling she thought back to Kyoya and Tamaki's graduation. The Host Club had decided to disband after that year since there wasn't anyone the two graduating officers really trusted with the club in the future besides the three remaining members, and the twins and Haruhi would have problems trying to do everything alone. After much discussion, it was decided that it was best to close the club, but the family would remain intact (Tamaki's stipulation, however the others felt the same).

Haruhi smiled to herself, the last few months of her second year at Ouran had proven to be interesting to say the least. People eventually accepted her as a girl and the hub bub finally died down after three weeks of living under a microscope. Of course Haruhi was convinced Kyoya had something to do with it because suddenly the gossip turned from them to a certain red headed female who shall remain nameless (cough Ayanokoji cough), and the fact that she was trying to coerce another student into marrying her when he was already engaged to someone else at Ouran. When everything was discovered the whole drama department (his fiancée's club) and the soccer team (his club) were out for the vindictive girl's blood. Needless to say she wasn't going to be finding a rich husband at Ouran.

As for Haruhi's suspicions that Kyoya had something to do with it, well he would never answer her questions, but it was in his expression that he may have opened the door a crack for the flood to do its damage. In fact, she asked again about it the day of his graduation, but it was always the same answer, "I really have no idea what you are talking about, but suffice it to say that she will be leaving you and I alone from now on. Besides, aren't you happy that everyone's attention was turned away from us?" If that statement was supposed to convince her of his innocence, he missed the mark.

The day Kyoya graduated was a bitter sweet day for Haruhi. She was happy and excited for him, and yet she knew she was going to miss seeing him at school all of the time, eating lunch with him, and occasionally having him escort her to her next class. He wouldn't be far away since he was going to Todai to get his degree in medicine and business. It was be a busy time for him, but somehow he always made sure that he set aside time for Haruhi. Smiling, she knew she was always his priority and she could not ask for anything more than what he gave her.

"I thought I would find you in here," the object of Haruhi's thoughts walked into the room.

Nodding, Haruhi replied, "Yah, I was just making sure that everything was ready for the little one." She started to rub her belly as Kyoya approached her and pulled her into his arms putting one hand over where the baby lay.

"You come in here every day to make sure. I think you are just a little anxious. I guess I will have to be the calm one for both of us," Kyoya teased her.

Haruhi slapped his chest laughing, "I am plenty calm. However, I will admit to being excited and a little anxious."

Smirking, Kyoya leaned down and captured her lips. Drawing back ever so slightly, he whispered against them, "Me too." A few minutes later, he was guiding her to the rocker in the room and sat down pulling her onto his lap. When both of them were comfortable, he asked, "So what were you thinking about when I walked in. You looked like you were about to laugh."

"Oh this and that," she giggled cryptically.

"You know I have ways to find out."

"What are you going to do attach something to my head and probe my mind? Sorry honey but they haven't invented something that will show someone else what one is dreaming about or thinking yet."

"Are you so sure about that?"

That simple question made her pause and study her husband for a minute. She saw the merriment there and knew he had been teasing her, but honestly if anyone could come up with something like that, she was sure he could. Rolling her eyes, she finally stated, "I was just reminiscing."

"About what?"

"Your last year at Ouran, my last year there without you, our wedding, college graduation, everything."

"I remember my high school graduation. Tamaki made me promise that I wouldn't leave you and ignore you since I was starting university a few weeks after to get ahead."

"Yes he did. In fact, he held me hostage until you did promise, but you got your revenge."

"I just scared him a little bit," the Shadow King tried to look innocent, but it wasn't working.

"A bit? If I remember correctly, he was asking for a priest so that he could confess all of his sins since he was born and then started saying he wanted to confess sins from his past lives."

"The crocodiles were not going to get him. He was in a barrier."

"You drugged the man, put him in the barrier that I have to say was perfectly clear and looked a little feeble, tied to a chair in the middle of the Aqua Gardens, and let the crocs run free. He was terrified."

"You reprove of my actions now, but if I remember correctly you and the twins were laughing and helped by giving him the tea laced with the drugs."

"On the grounds it may incriminate me, I am choosing to remain silent on the matter," Haruhi laughed.

"Don't try to use the lawyer lingo with me. I was a witness and present during your nefarious activities."

"You were a part of any 'nefarious activities' I was involved in."

"Maybe, but Tamaki was always the one in charge."

"Oh please. He may have been the president, but you knew how to get what you wanted."

"Possibly."

Sighing, Haruhi kissed him on the cheek, "It is one of the reasons you were always the Shadow King and I fell in love with you."

"No regrets?"

"Only the little blip in the beginning, but I think we have more than made up for it."

Kyoya pushed his glasses up, "I don't know. It wasn't a great time for us, but I don't think we would have appreciated what we have now if it wasn't for that. It may have been harder for us to keep our priorities straight, so although it was a dark time, I think it might have been a benefit to us later."

Smiling, Haruhi nodded and spoke softly with tears in her eyes, "I think I might agree with that assessment."

Kyoya brushed away the tears used to her changes in moods and the fact that she easily cried as her pregnancy progressed, "I also remember your final year in school. You had to call me a few times because Tamaki had decided to come and visit you and wouldn't leave saying that a good father always visits his daughter at school and spends time with her."

"UGH! Don't remind me. It was so embarrassing because he was yelling so loudly and attached himself to me; and it happened more than once," Haruhi face palmed remembering the many incidents.

"Where were the twins again?"

"Egging him on and pretending to violate me," she grumbled. When Kyoya started to laugh, Haruhi pushed him a little, "It isn't funny. People started to wonder if I was having Tamaki and the twins on the side."

"Your friends and older customers knew the truth though," Kyoya stated trying to rein in the mirth.

Folding her arms across her chest, Haruhi glared at him, "They knew, but the rumors still spread. It wasn't until you made an appearance on one of the days he would not leave me alone that the rumors were squashed."

"Oh yes, that was an interesting day to say the least."

"You sent Tamaki to the corner, froze the twins with ice because your glare was glacial, and kissed me in the middle of school. Interesting doesn't cut it."

"He left you alone after that, didn't he?"

"If you mean he didn't try to hang around me all day at school any longer, then yes; but he would still come up at lunch sometimes."

"We all came to lunch on different days to see you. Even Mori and Hunny made appearances."

"Point taken," Haruhi mumbled, "Of course the highlight of school was the graduation when Tamaki tried to rush onto the stage when I gave my valedictorian speech and then again when I got my diploma."

"I was never happier at having extra security with me than in those moments," Kyoya smirked.

Haruhi giggled again, "They did come in handy, didn't they. How does he always find a mushroom corner to pout in though?"

Pushing up his glasses, Kyoya shook his head, "I have no idea. I think they are portable and he stores them in another dimension or something."

Laughing, she clutched her stomach as the baby started to move with her merriment, "That would explain so much."

"He was the same way at your law school graduation. He was so proud of you for finishing a seven year program in five (University plus law school)."

"It isn't that hard when you go to summer school and take a few extra classes," she muttered.

"I know that and you know that, but this is Tamaki we are talking about," Kyoya chastised.

"True. He was the same way at your medical school graduation. He was a little peeved that you had chosen not to attend graduation when you got your business degree though."

"There was too much to do and not enough time to do it, and being a dual major of business and pre-med, I knew I wasn't going to attend that graduation. Besides I think medical school was the bigger accomplishment," Kyoya sighed as he ran a hand through his hair.

Changing positions so that she could snuggle against her husband a little bit more, she smiled, "That was a really good night."

"It was a surprising night for me," Kyoya whispered and thought about the night he graduated from medical school.

_Flashback…_

_The Ootori family was celebrating the graduation of their youngest son from medical school and had decided to have a party. The Host Club was in attendance as were other business associates of the Ootori zaibatsu. _

_Kyoya felt like he was in heaven. He had decided that he didn't care who his father decided to make his heir because he had the world at his fingertips. Haruhi had become his wife and was on his arm encouraging him in everything he did. He knew he could and would succeed without the family business. He could create his own or practice medicine. Either way, he would create his own destiny. _

_He had even told his father that the night before when the older man had called Kyoya to his office in order to congratulate him on a job well done. Kyoya took the praise knowing that his father hardly ever complimented him and told his father his feelings on becoming heir. It was funny, he had worked and strived to be named heir knowing that it was a farfetched dream, and now he was willing to let it go because he had other dreams to fulfill and they all centered around Haruhi. _

_Smiling down at the woman at his side, Kyoya escorted her onto the dance floor and twirled her around. He could never get enough of her and she had become his life blood. Tamaki had started the process to save him from himself, but Haruhi had been the lifeline he needed to make it through to the end. He would forever be grateful to the blonde idiot and his friends for supporting him and for letting him have Haruhi. He knew that they all had feelings for her in a way at some point in time, but they had seen his need and let her go without a fight. Well he owed his best friend for also bring Haruhi back into his life when he thought he had lost her forever. Tamaki may act like an idiot, but he has an insight that goes well beyond his years in maturity._

_"Are you happy Kyoya?" Haruhi asked noticing the grin that appeared on her husband's face._

_"I am, and more than I know how to express," Kyoya spoke softly and kissed her on the forehead._

_"Good because you deserve to be happy."_

_"I know. Thanks to you and the others, I know I do," he smirked, the truth of his words settling over him._

_It was a few minutes later that Yoshio was calling for everyone's attention and asked for Haruhi and Kyoya to join him on the small stage that had been erected for the party, "Thank you everyone for coming tonight. Last year we celebrated my daughter-in-law, Haruhi's graduation from law school. Tonight we celebrate my son and her husband, Kyoya's graduation from medical school. He graduates with top honors and will continue his residency at one of the Ootori hospitals." Applause drowned out any other sound as everyone offered their congratulations. When the noise had died down, Yoshio continued, "I also want to make an announcement. Tonight I am announcing that the heir to the Ootori zaibatsu will be my third son Kyoya Ootori. He has worked hard and proven he is able to manage businesses while going to school. He will be an asset to the Ootori name and take our companies into the future. Congratulations Kyoya!"_

_Kyoya was stunned. He looked down at Haruhi and realized she had no clue that the announcement was coming because she looked as shocked as he did. Looking at his brothers in the audience, Yuuichi was smiling and clapping. Akito looked less than pleased, but it seemed he accepted the news with as much dignity as he could. Both appeared to have known this was coming. Turning to his father, he bowed, "Thank you for this honor father."_

_"You deserve it Kyoya. You met every challenge I gave you and exceeded anything that I or your brothers have ever done; and you did it with a grace that I can only assume came from your wife and your friends. No one else is worthy enough to be the heir," the Ootori patriarch explained softly. He knew he had surprised his son and it was a joy to see the normally put together son completely dumbfounded._

_End of flashback…_

"That turned out to be a spectacular night," Kyoya smiled and kissed the top of Haruhi's head.

Nodding, Haruhi scowled, "I am just happy Akito didn't do anything to you after the announcement. He was more accepting of our relationship after our engagement party, but I wondered if he would retaliate after that."

"He knew better than to try anything. He was still on thin ice with father, so he was going to behave and accept it even if it wasn't what he wanted. He actually didn't want it for him but for Yuuichi. Since Yuuichi was happy about it, Akito couldn't say anything." They sat there in silence for a few more minutes before Kyoya asked, "Do you know what one of my favorite memories is?"

Furrowing her brow, Haruhi shook her head, "What?"

Kyoya pulled her a little closer, "The day you walked down the aisle and said that you accept me as your husband."

"I like that memory too," Haruhi smiled thinking about the very lavish wedding she had to go through.

_Flashback…_

_It was to be the wedding of the year. Kyoya Ootori was tying the knot with Haruhi Fujioka. The press was covering it and the other hosts were all a part of it. Tamaki had tried to argue that he should be able to walk her down the aisle, but that idea had been nixed by Ranka without Haruhi or Kyoya needing to step in. The cross dressing father did not like when his position was being usurped and the blonde baka was trying to do just that. Tamaki lost the fight and instead settled on becoming Kyoya's best man. The twins designed the dress and were groomsmen. Hunny and Mori were also groomsmen and helped with the ushering. Kyoya's brothers were ushers, not that Kyoya was given much of a choice; he did it to make his father happy but refused to allow them to stand up with him._

_Haruhi had woken up that morning to the sound of her father nagging her saying that she would be late to the ceremony if she did not get up right at that moment. The wedding was at 4:00 pm, her father was waking her up at 7:00 am, "How am I going to be late if we still have hours before the ceremony?"_

_"You still have to do your hair and make-up!" Ranka rushed in a tizzy._

_Exhaling loudly to show her irritation at being woken up early in the morning, she growled, "A stylist is coming in to do my hair and make-up along with that of Momoka, Renge, Rie, Sakuno, and Fuyumi."_

_"Well you still have to get up now!"_

_"Fine dad, I am up. I hope you are happy now." She got out of bed and walked into the kitchen to find the twins waiting for her and a huge breakfast lay out on their table, "Is this why I needed to get up?"_

_"Yes, aren't they wonderful Haruhi? They brought us breakfast and are going to make sure you are on time for the wedding. So lucky you are marrying such a wonderful man. You chose so well for yourself. I am so happy it wasn't that blonde half-Frenchman!" Her father declared dreamily._

_With years of practice, Haruhi had learned to tune her father out when it came to Tamaki. There was no way those two would get along any time soon, so she ignored the ranting and focused on her friends, "Thanks for coming guys, but did you have to get me so early. The wedding isn't for several hours."_

_Hikaru and Kaoru shared and look before grinning at their victim, umm Haruhi, "Of course. We are going to the spa first to get your hair and make-up done. Then we will go to the church in order to get you dressed for the ceremony."_

_"And the spa takes all day?" Haruhi was truly clueless as to why it would take so long to get ready for a wedding._

_"Of course Haruhi," Hikaru sighed at her lack of knowledge._

_"You are going to have a wrap to make your skin soft, pedicure, manicure, massage, hair, and make-up," Kaoru listed._

_Simultaneously, they said, "All of that takes time."_

_Haruhi sweat dropped. She had no clue what she was in for and it didn't sound like fun, but she knew better than to fight with the twins when they were on a mission, "Fine."_

_In the end, Haruhi completely understood why she was woken up so early even if she didn't think she needed it. Once she was coiffed and her make-up done to perfection, she and the twins were on the way to the church where the ceremony would take place. Her father was going to meet her there and then it would be time for her vows. She couldn't wait. The twins had remarked on the fact that she seemed so calm and didn't have any nerves what so ever. She had smiled and said, "When you are about to say 'I do' to the man of your dreams and the love of your life, I have no reason to be nervous. If we hadn't broken up before, I might be, but I am just ready." Her friends had smiled at her and nodded their understanding._

_Soon she was dressed to perfection and was handed her bouquet of purple roses. Her bridesmaids would carry the color of rose for the groomsman she was paired up with. The twins' dress was amazing and enhanced the feminine figure that had filled out her last two years in high school. It was a satin trumpet gown with a chapel train and a sweetheart neckline. It was fitted through her hips and laced up the back. There was some beading along the neckline and under the bust to give it just a little bit of bling and a touch of flare. She had fallen in love with it the moment she saw it and she knew it was her dress. _

_When she was given the signal that it was time and after her bridesmaids had made their way to the front, it was time for her to make her appearance. The doors opened and her eyes locked with Kyoya. He looked regally handsome in his tuxedo and she noticed the small widening of his eyes when he caught a glimpse of her over the sea of people; she could not have asked for a better reaction. She knew he was stunned and as she made her way closer to him, she could see the love he felt for her glowing in his eyes. Everyone else melted away except for her and Kyoya. The wedding had been perfect._

_End of flashback…_

"The month after my high school graduation was a busy one, but I was so happy to say 'I do'," Haruhi beamed at the memory.

Kyoya whispered, "Me too."

"I know that we have been married seven years, but it doesn't seem like it has been that long."

"I have to agree. I have been living out my dreams with you. The lasts couple of years have seen a lot of changes. You graduated law school, I graduated medical school a year later, and now another year later we are about to have a baby."

Closing her eyes and basking in her husband's love, she spoke softly, "I wouldn't change a thing."

"No?"

Standing up so that she could stretch, she had to prepare for dinner with the Host Club that night, "No…"

Suddenly her eyes went wide and Kyoya panicked. He saw the wetness running down her leg, "Haruhi?"

"My water just broke," she choked out.

It was a frenzy of activity to get Haruhi to the hospital. Kyoya was beside himself and it was Haruhi who was keeping him calm. Tachibana could see the state his boss was in and called Mori to let everyone know about the change in plans that night. Mori called the hosts and soon everyone converged onto the hospital.

Hours on the wall ticked by. Ranka and Tamaki were a sobbing mess, while everyone else seemed to be patiently waiting for news. After being at the hospital for about sixteen hours, a nurse came to get everyone, "Ootori-sama asked me to bring all of you to the room to see the new baby."

"Wh-what did she have? Is my baby ok?" Tamaki cried and was immediately hit on the head by Ranka.

"She is my baby you worm!" Flipping the switch and pasting on a smile, Ranka addressed the nurse, "Is my daughter alright? Do I have a granddaughter or a grandson?"

The nurse was a little unnerved to witness the display of violence and muttered, "Sh-she is fine. I was told not to say anything else. P-Please follow me." When she was done escorting the group to the proper room, she decided to leave everyone there and allow them to enter the room together. It wasn't that they were a problem, but the blonde and the red head scared her a bit.

Ranka turned the door handle and everyone filed into the room. Kyoya was standing near a sleeping Haruhi holding a little bundle in his arms. "Is she alright?" The Fujioka patriarch asked in hushed tones.

"She did amazingly, Ranka. She is just tired and fell asleep waiting for you to get here," Kyoya smiled and walked up to Ranka, "We had a little boy. His name is Isao Ootori."

Everyone congratulated Kyoya and gathered around him to see the new baby. Tamaki patted his best friend on the back, "I told you that you could do whatever you wanted and you have made your own destiny and life. I am happy for you Mon Ami."

Looking behind him at his sleeping wife, Kyoya grinned, "You were right once again Tamaki."


End file.
